


Enslaved

by RoseWilder



Category: Bleach
Genre: Anal Sex, Blow Jobs, Homophobia, M/M, Original Character(s), Period-Typical Sexism, Porn With Plot, Sexual Slavery, Unhealthy Relationships, Worldbuilding
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-16
Updated: 2020-06-23
Packaged: 2021-02-28 23:02:15
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 10
Words: 33,688
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23165191
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RoseWilder/pseuds/RoseWilder
Summary: Set in a world where sex slavery is normal, so normal that anyone with any sort of status will have at least one slave with them, and certain Houses exist purely to breed the best slaves. Ulquiorra is from one of the best, and owning someone like him would only be fit for a king. That's exactly who buys him, a King. However, while Ulquiorra was well trained and prepare to deal with close to anything, he was not prepared for how their relationship was to develop.
Relationships: Ulquiorra Cifer/Grimmjow Jaegerjaques
Comments: 17
Kudos: 73





	1. The Market

**Author's Note:**

> More tags will appear as I work on this story, and so will more characters. I know who will appear, but I'll add them as I place them into the story.
> 
> The non-con/rape part is mainly because slaves can't consent, they don't even have the option to, though as the story progresses the relationship between Grimmjow and Ulquiorra will change, though it will never be a completely healthy dynamic.

He moved down the steps and towards the carriage that was waiting. Today he was the one to be on sale. It was his turn. Once at the bottom of the marble steps he turned and looked back as the owner of the pleasure farm stood and watched him. Around them were beautiful gardens, and a manor so huge it could be considered a king’s castle. This was where he had been born and raised, and trained.

“Make us proud,” the owner said and Ulquiorra bowed before stepping into the carriage that were pulled by two beautiful black horses.

Inside was the one who was to sell him, and following them would be several guards on horseback.

“So, once we get there, all you have to do is sit and look pretty. If the possible seller asks you something directly you can answer, but it’s best if I do most of the talking, okay?” the salesman said.

“Understood.”

“You’re a pretty one. We’re going to be very busy at the market.”

With that the salesman decided to look through some documents, probably double checking the information that was on Ulquiorra, and now and then he would look up at the slave he was soon to sell.

“22 years old, right? Perfect age. Educated in politics, music, arts and literature. You’re a smart one then. Small, light, very attractive features. I can think of many, many lords who would buy you. But who would be able to afford you. I will have to take a better look at you once we are there. For now the price is at 200 000 gold, but I think I might be able to go higher.”

That was well over the price of a castle, and that had been what he had expected. A Cifer was a luxury to own. They were expensive beyond reason, and one was sold only every other or third year, so whenever it was announced that a new one was on the market, all the nobles and kings would either come themselves or send representatives to see if it was one they would be interested in.

So the question was if they had the money to buy one, and even then, they had to be good enough. It was a waste to sell a Cifer to someone who would abuse them, so they were picky with whom got to buy one. Bribery didn’t work, and many nobles had said they would curse the house of Cifer, or attack their estate. Sadly, they were too liked by most of the powerful nations so they would stand by the house’s side. They were untouchable.

“Ah, before we get there. Undo that cloak for a moment.”

Ulquiorra did as he was told. Underneath the heavy black cloak he was wearing was nothing but thin see through silk that was held together by silver chains.

The salesman reached under one of the seats and picked out a gilded chest and opened it. Inside was a black and green choker and he placed it around Ulquiorra’s neck. All slaves had a collar, but the rich would often use chokers instead, and it was the Cifers who had started that trend. It was to show that they didn’t need their slaves to be chained up, to be held on a leash.

“Perfect. Put your cloak back on.”

Again he did was he was told.

The salesman went back to the papers while Ulquiorra turned his gaze towards the window. Green forests and hills was all he could see. Some farmland, all of them owned by the Cifer. Some of them were born in the house, but most had come to them for work.

Not every person born in the house became sex slaves, not everyone was born attractive enough or were able to get the skills needed, but to throw them aside or cast them out, no they were too valuable for that. Instead they were educated and either worked inside the house as maids and cooks or became teachers and took care of the children or became doctors, or maybe guards. Some became farmers or worked in the stable, or anything else they might need. Everyone who worked there had been born there.

They reached a village and he could see all of the ones they passed had dropped whatever they were doing to look, some even came running from nearby streets. Heads peaking out of windows, and children sitting on the roofs to watch. It was always an event when one of the black Cifer carriages moved through.

“Careful, you might bewitch them with those eyes of yours if you look at them for too long,” the salesman chuckled.

Ulquiorra sent him a short look before looking out at the people again. Yes, green eyes were rare, very rare. Everyone else had brown or blue eyes, even yellow were more common than green.

He leaned back against the plush seat, his head resting against the padded wall. It was going to take them a couple of days to get there, but Ulquiorra had been prepared for that.

They would stop now and then to give their horses a break and water, and also get themselves food, and the first night was spent as a guest at a noble’s home. Immediately as they entered they were met by a feast. Ulquiorra’s expression stayed the same the whole time, and he did as little talking as possible, mainly to not appear interested in the nobles that tried to catch his attention. They would not be able to afford him. They tried, of course, but the answer was no, they did not have the money. He did see some of the other sex slaves held. This noble had seven of them, and all appeared to be well bred, though one of the females were clearly pregnant, so they weren’t from an esteemed house like himself. None of the sex slaves that they sold could reproduce. The females wombs didn’t work, and the male’s sperm were dead. It was all to prevent someone from trying to breed Cifers.

The next morning they continued on. Through a city, and then they reached a mountain trail. The road was dirt instead of cobblestone here, but thankfully it was in the dry season so it was not an issue. He could only imagine how difficult these places were, especially the hills, after it had been raining for a week. During winter he knew this path was closed due to the snow, so they would have to move around the mountain instead, which would take an additional three days.

On the mountains there was little to see, very little plants or wildlife, but now and then they would pass someone who was moving in the opposite direction or taking a break.

“What sort of noble do you imagine you’ll be working for?” the salesman asked.

“Not a noble, a king,” Ulquiorra corrected.

“Don’t think anyone but a king would be able to afford you?”

“I’m highly educated and skilled, I doubt a noble would be able to afford me.”

It was getting dark once they were finally over the mountain, and now into a deep forest. Ulquiorra found himself opening the door to peak outside at the tall trees. They were tall as castles, and as the sky grew darker the trees appeared to never end.

This night they stayed at an inn. It was not very comfortable, and there were plenty of drunk patrons who tried to get up close to Ulquiorra, but their armed guards kept them away. Then the next day they finally reached the market that was held outside of the capital. Tents were placed up everywhere, and some didn’t even have tents to stay in. It was all divided into price groups. So Ulquiorra couldn’t help his curiosity when they passed by the cheap slaves, so he peaked outside. He knew that they could cost as little as 50 gold. That was still a lot more than a peasant could pay, but it was a ridiculously low price. Those at that price were usually desperate people selling themselves, or the ones kidnapped, or picked up from the street.

They moved past the ones that cost a bit more, and now simple tents were popping up. These ones were usually also kidnapped, or poor family members selling siblings or their children. As they moved along the tents got larger as the pleasure farms had their own large tents in this area. All with their banners and with their own guards. They reached the one belonging to the Cifer. A black tent that was the size of a large stable. He was sure he could fit at least 50 carriages in it with ease, and it was only there for him.

He stepped out of the carriage and sent the banners on either side of the opening to the tent a short look. Black with a large silver bat. He entered the tent and looked around.

The tent was illuminated with lanterns, and soft carpet was covering the ground. There were tables with wine and some books in a shelf. Another table filled with fruits and he found himself going over to that one and picked out some grapes to snack on. Almost in the middle of the room was a platform that had a large green pillow on it. It looked soft, and he knew he would be sitting on it as people entered to have a look.

“Remove your cape. I need to have another look at you,” the salesman said as he entered and Ulquiorra undid it and let it drop to the ground. “Yeah, you’re quite the sight.” He moved closer to the slave and first studied his face, making him open his mouth for a moment, and then moved on his his arms, checking his hands, then to his chest, his stomach, his genitals, legs. Then walked around him, and Ulquiorra could feel his hands on his back, on his ass as he spread his cheeks apart for a moment, and then walked around to stand in front of him once more. “You know what. 200 000 is too low a price for you. Excellent teeth, smooth skin, no scarring, soft hands, firm ass, very lean and light, almost feminine built. Pretty sure even those who say they don’t like dick would find you attractive.” He was quite for a moment. “The new price will be 350 000.”

Ulquiorra’s eyes widened slightly. That was one of the highest prices he had ever heard someone put on a slave. He knew his oldest sister was sold for that price, and she was seen as beyond gifted. Other than that he had heard of one Cifer being sold for 375 000, but that was over ten years ago.

“Surprised uh? Yeah, think you’re right, only a king could afford you.”

The salesman moved aside and started to make sure that everything was fine just as two servants walked inside. The silks draped around Ulquiorra’s person was removed. The only things he was allowed to wear was the choker. He moved to the soft pillow and sat down so that the servants could do his make up. Only slaves and actors used make up.

Once they were done they left and Ulquiorra turned to look towards a mirror that was standing nearby. He was lean, thin. That’s what he was supposed to look like as he was not one of the models that were meant to have visible muscles or look very masculine. His skin was pale and perfectly smooth. His hair like black silk that reached just past his shoulders and framed his face perfectly. Large green eyes, and with the make up they looked even more brilliant than ever. Lined with black, and some slight green shimmer on his cheekbones. Lips soft, and his upper lip as black as his hair. That upper lip was not make up. It was tattooed, and was done to every single Cifer that was fit to be sold. The process was painful, but necessary as it made sure everyone knew this was a Cifer. Others had tried to imitate the process, but no one could make that upper lip as black as the Cifers could, and the black would never fade either.

“Ready?” the salesman asked and Ulquiorra nodded.

The salesman stepped outside and minutes passed by and at one point he decided to get up and look at the books that were here. This could take time. The market had to properly open first, and they had to send out criers to announce that they were here, in case people didn’t see the fliers and banners everywhere.

He picked out one book from the bookshelf. ‘The invisible maiden and the blind man.’ It was a cute story, he remembered reading it when he was a child. He stepped across the room with the book in hand and picked up some more fruits before he took a seat once more and started to read.

The fruit devoured and he was about ten pages into the book when the salesman came into the tent. Ulquiorra placed the book aside and sat up properly. The man that followed the salesman was easily recognized.

“Your Majesty,” Ulquiorra said and bowed his head.

The first to see every Cifer for sale was always the king of their kingdom. A man at the end of his youth, brown hair slowly turning grey, and a thick beard. His armor silver with three black bats as the symbols of their country. It was his lineage that had started the house of Cifer about a thousand years ago.

“Stand up, let me see you,” the king said softly.

Ulquiorra did as he was told and got to his feet and stepped a bit closer. The king reached out and gently touched his cheek.

“Skin as pale as snow, and hair as black as night. You’re a winter child, aren’t you?”

“I am, My King.”

“You’re very beautiful.”

“You’re not interested then, Your Majesty?” the salesman asked.

“I already have one, and I much prefer the female ones,” the king answered, then turned his attention back to Ulquiorra. “What’s your name?”

“Ulquiorra.”

“Ulquiorra. Let us hope your future master is worthy of the gift you are.” With that the king placed a kiss on Ulquiorra’s forehead and walked out of the tent.

“Well, ready for the first possible buyer?” the salesman asked and Ulquiorra stepped back to his pillow and took a seat.

First interested buyer to enter was someone from a country far north. The Winterwings as they were called, from the country of Norheim. The king, Orm, had sent someone to have a look.

“He looks like the piece the king as been missing,” the representative said.

Then questions soon followed.

“Well educated?”

“Yes.”

“Can he sing?”

“Yes.”

“Oral sex? How good is he.”

“Expert. Perfect control of gag reflexes, he can however not take objects that are too large.”

With that Ulquiorra had been told to open his mouth. And then there were more questions, but none directed at Ulquiorra and he was not told to do anything either, so he just sat there and listened to the conversation.

“Hmmm. He is certainly to the king’s taste. What’s his price?”

“350 000 gold.”

The representative appeared to almost choke on air. “You jest.”

“No.”

“Hmm. I will have to think about that.”

The representative left, and soon after another one entered. This time it was the actual king. Ulquiorra recognized him quickly and so did the salesman as he appeared to tense up a bit. King of the burning country. It was said that whatever land he conquered he burned to the ground, and then built new settlements on top of the ashes. Face like ash, and hair a white mess. The man… was not a pleasant sight, but Ulquiorra kept his expression perfectly calm. 

“He looks like he can’t take much. Would probably break within a week,” the king said as he stared down at Ulquiorra.

“Well, Your Majesty, we don’t sell them with the intention of them being broken,” the salesman said.

“Boring. The fun is hearing them beg and scream and cry.”

Ulquiorra made sure his gaze was as cold as humanly possible as he stared up at the other. This man was known for how poorly he treated slaves. Be sold to him and you would eventually die. Apparently he couldn’t get an erection unless his victim was a sobbing mess. He wondered if he treated his wife that way too.

“I don’t like the way he’s looking at me. Think he’ll cry if I slap him?”

“Your Majesty. You’re already declared war with Panthera, do you want to add Murcielago to the list of your enemies?”

The king turned towards the salesman and scoffed. One more look sent in Ulquiorra’s direction and then he left. The salesman let out a long sigh.

“I hope he doesn’t walk into anyone from Panthera while he is here.”

“This is a neutral zone, correct? No matter the war, it is not allowed to be brought here,” Ulquiorra commented.

“Yeah. Anyway, on to the next one.”

A representative from one of their neighboring countries appeared. It was the youngest son of Queen Havia. The youth appeared very flustered when he saw Ulquiorra and could barely speak a comprehensive sentence. To Ulquiorra's amusement he could clearly see the Prince's erection push against his pants. Oh that’s what he got for wearing such a short tunic.

He didn’t say for long before he left.

“Pretty sure he needs to go and rub one off, or use one of the slaves he already have,” the salesman commented.

“I don’t think he has dealt with a slave market before.”

“Pretty inexperienced, yeah. Don’t think he’ll be coming back.” He turned towards Ulquiorra with a smile. “You scared him off.”

“Oops?”

Another man entered, and immediately Ulquiorra wondered how this place had not turned into a battlefield. Before him was the king of Panthera. All dressed up in a light blue armor, and draped in a royal blue cape decorated by a white panther.

“King Grimmjow,” the salesman said with a smile and moved up to the man.

Grimmjow was a relative newcomer among the kings, only spent four years on the throne, but he had already made a name for himself. Undefeated on the battlefield. Anyone who dared cross him were crushed.

Blue eyes slowly moved over Ulquiorra’s body, studying him. “He’s pretty.”

Oh that was an understatement. Ulquiorra could tell just by the way he was breathing that he really, really liked what he saw.

Grimmjow turned towards the salesperson. “How old is he?”

“22.”

“Young. How’s his endurance?”

“He can easily deal with up to seven rounds a day.”

“Fucking hell…” Grimmjow looked over at Ulquiorra again. “Any other ways he would be able to entertain me?”

“He can play piano and sing. He is also educated in politics and literature, so he should be able to hold good conversations.”

Grimmjow hummed and stepped closer to Ulquiorra. “Stand up.” Ulquiorra did as he was told. “What’s your name?”

“Ulquiorra.”

Grimmjow took his hand and guided him away from the pillow. Once he let go of him he slowly moved around the slave, his eyes studying every inch of his body. He stopped in front of Ulquiorra, and made sure to stand really, really close. One hand slowly brushing over his chest, then down his stomach. “You’re very soft. I guess you’re very flexible too?”

“I am.”

Grimmjow walked around him and he could feel hands on his ass, spreading his cheeks apart.

“What’s the largest he can take?”

“About the size of an adult farm horse.”

“Seriously?” Grimmjow sounded slightly surprised, and Ulquiorra could feel a finger pressed against his hole, but it was clear he wasn’t trying to enter. “And yet he appears to be so tight.”

“Yes, if you’re going to have any of your horses fuck him then it might take a couple of days before he tightens up again.”

“He can seriously both take that depth and that size?”

“Yes, he can.”

“Impressive. Though I don’t think I would want a horse to fuck him. Think I’ll keep him to myself.” Grimmjow walked around to stand in front of him instead. He spoke like he had already bought him. “Is it true that you only use toys and objects to train them?”

“Yes.”

“So he has never actually been fucked by a human cock.”

“It is the closest we can go to training them while also preserving some degree of innocence.”

Grimmjow grinned. “I’ll make sure to be your first. I bet that tight ass of yours feels real nice.” With that he stepped back though he made sure to turn and send Ulquiorra a heated look. Now his attention was back towards the seller. “I don’t care what the price is. I will pay whatever I have to to get him.”

The seller rose both eyebrows. “Well. We shall see when the bidding starts later today.”

Grimmjow exited the tent, and soon after another person entered. A noble this time. Then there was another royalty, then another. Several questions were asked, and many reacted to the price, but they knew there was nothing they could do about it.

When evening came at least a hundred people had entered the tent to have a look at the Cifer, and Ulquiorra was sure even more than that had wanted to enter. However, unless you were an actual possible buyer you weren’t allowed inside. This was not a sideshow.

So, the evening was here, and it was time to see who the final owner would be. Out of the hundred that had showed up, nine returned for the bidding, which was a lot more than expected.

Ulquiorra sat neatly on his pillow and looked over the people standing before him. Six men and three women.

“So, the starting bid is at 350 000,” the seller said.

“360 000,” one man said.

“370 000.”

“400 000,” Grimmjow said. At that two people left. That was too high for them.

“410 000.”

“415 000.”

“425 000!” Grimmjow hissed. Another person left.

“430 000”

“450 000, and can you all just leave, I will bid over you no matter the price,” Grimmjow hissed, and two more decided they wouldn’t win against him.

“460 000.”

“480 000.”

“500 000,” Grimmjow growled, and at that, the ones left decided to fold. They couldn’t bid over that.

In the meantime Ulquiorra and the seller just stared at Grimmjow with wide eyes. No slave had ever been sold for a price like that!

“Sold, to King Grimmjow of Panthera.”


	2. Going Home

The sun had just started to rise, but the tent was already taken down, and everything was packed, and ready to head back to the Cifer mansion. It was strange to know he was not going back there, and if he did his job properly he never would either, or perhaps once he was too old to be of use, but even then many who bought a Cifer decided to keep them even then. He suppose some became attached to them.

“The carriage with your things are ready, but your Master wished for you to ride in his carriage on the way to your new home,” a guard said, dressed in silver and marine, so it would have to be one of Grimmjow’s men.

“Understood,” Ulquiorra replied.

“Follow me.” With that the guard turned and started to walk.

Ulquiorra sent the other carriages one last look, a quiet goodbye before following the guard. They were moving along the back of the market, and three more guards soon joined in, encircling Ulquiorra. He wasn’t surprised by this move. After all, he was worth a lot, and there might be some who wished to try to snatch him up before he left this place. It happened. Slave theft was a thing, though he had never heard of anyone managing to steal a Cifer. Sure there had been plenty of attempts, but not only would their masters make sure they were well protected, but the Cifer themselves knew self defense, they were not harmless. On top of that, they would only hold loyalty to their master, so the stolen Cifer could become a danger. Then of course, you were attempting to steal something incredibly valuable. Wars had been started over attempts like that.

They reached the carriage. Six silver horses was being used to pull it. It was large, white and silver, with blue details, and the curtains used to prevent anyone from seeing inside were light blue. There should be more than enough room for at least eight people to be more than comfortable in there, or one king.

The door was opened and another guard held out a hand to help Ulquiorra inside. He took the hand and stepped into the carriage, the door closed behind him. The King, his new master, was already there, so he silently took a seat opposite to him. The seats were so soft, he was sure you could sleep comfortably in here. Dark blue velvet, with silver linings and sapphire details was surrounding him now.

He could feel Grimmjow studying him, which was to be expected. Once he was done looking around he turned his attention to the King, their eyes meeting for the first time since Ulquiorra entered the carriage.

“Think you’ll be able to handle the whole ride to my kingdom? I’m not planning to stop by any inns, so if you need to sleep it’ll have to be in here,” Grimmjow said.

“I will be fine,” Ulquiorra replied. Grimmjow’s kingdom was the neighbouring one, so he was lucky there.

“You sure? Or are you saying that just to appear stronger, and not offend me?” Grimmjow asked with a slight smirk.

“It would be counterproductive to lie to you.”

“So, I will have your honesty, and only your honesty then?”

“If that is what you wish for.” He knew he could be blunt, it was one of the things he had been told to work on, and he suspected also one of the reasons he hadn’t been sold a year or two ago.

“Yes. I don’t give a fuck if it might be considered offensive or not. I only want to hear the truth, got it?”

“Of course.” Sounds like he was allowed to be blunt then.

There was a knock on the door.

“Yeah?” Grimmjow called out.

“We are ready to leave, Your Highness.”

“Then do so.” With that Grimmjow’s attention was back on Ulquiorra. “Remove your coat.”

He did as he was told and undid the coat he was wearing and allowed it to slip off of his shoulders. It was warm enough, thankfully, for this not to be an issue. The smirk on Grimmjow’s face only grew now. Clearly he was loving the view.

The carriage started moving, and they were on their way, heading home. What would be Ulquiorra’s new home. There was some excitement in knowing that he would be living somewhere else, a strange sense of adventure, though he didn’t let it show.

“Come here. I want you on my lap,” Grimmjow suddenly said.

Ulquiorra got up and moved over to Grimmjow and straddled his lap. Now that Grimmjow had bought him he could do whatever he wanted with him, and he was not surprised that Grimmjow couldn’t wait until they were home before he started playing with his new toy.

Grimmjow’s gaze slowly moved up and down Ulquiorra’s naked body. His hands placed on his new property’s pale thighs and slowly moved his hands up to his hips, then to squeeze his ass. The touch wasn’t rough, in fact it was gentler than Ulquiorra had expected. From there the hands moved back to his hips, then up his sides and onto his chest, where Grimmjow decided to playfully pinch a nipple.

“I’m going to have so much fun breaking you in,” Grimmjow grinned. “Especially since you’ve never felt a real cock before. It’ll be like I’m taking your virginity.” As those words were said his eyes darkened. Ulquiorra could pretty much see just how possessive the other was feeling, and how much he enjoyed knowing that he would be the first person to bed Ulquiorra, and in a sense claiming him in a different way than he already had.

“I will do my best to please you.”

“I’m sure you will, and I’m sure you’ll do a damn good job at it too.”

Grimmjow continued to be rather touchy for a while longer, really taking his time too, and at this point Ulquiorra pretty much figured Grimmjow was thinking of having sex with him once they got home, rather than doing so in here. Though, it wouldn’t surprise Ulquiorra if something sexual happened before they managed to get home. With that in mind he felt Grimmjow’s hands back on his ass, then he felt fingers against his entrance, slowly circling the tight ring of muscles and pushing gently against them. The intent was clearly not to enter.

“I wonder just how tight you’re going to be,” Grimmjow purred, his lips close to Ulquiorra’s neck now, and the feeling of Grimmjow’s breath against his ear made him shiver slightly. He did not expect Grimmjow’s mouth to make contact with his skin, it would be incredibly strange if he did so. There were only very, very rare circumstances where it was seen as appropriate to kiss a slave. The only one Ulquiorra could think of was to say goodbye to a slave that had done its job well or was expecting to do its job well. In that case a kiss to the forehead would be appropriate. He had never heard of anyone kissing a slave’s lips, the thought of someone doing that was absurd. That was a sign of romantic affection, of a type of care you should never show a slave. “I bet you’ll feel real nice around my cock.”

Grimmjow speaking up again caused Ulquiorra to return to the now.

“You’re free to discover what that would feel like whenever you wish,” Ulquiorra replied.

“I’ll wait until I have a bed.”

“That would make things more comfortable for you, yes.” Despite that it was clear that Grimmjow was getting rather worked up right now, so he wondered if he would be able to wait. Good things there were other ways he could take care of Grimmjow while they had no bed available.

Grimmjow’s hands moved again and he leaned back in his seat, hands on Ulquiorra’s thighs once more. “You know of the war going on, right?”

“Of course.” That was a sudden change of topic, but he was fine with that.

“Do you know how it started?”

“I have heard rumors, several different ones, but I don’t know the exact reason, only you and King Wallik would know the truth,” Ulquiorra replied. From greed and want to expand territory to the possible disappearance of Grimmjow’s father, but it was hard to say exactly what the truth was. All he knew was that the war had suddenly broken out about a year after Grimmjow took the throne. It was Wallik who had declared war, and thus appearing to be the instigator, which came as no surprise as he was known to be aggressive.

“Do you want to know the truth?” Grimmjow asked, he had a wide smirk on his lips, and that told Ulquiorra that the truth was not one he would expect.

“I do. You’re making me very curious.”

“After I killed my father-” Ulquiorra’s eyes widened at that. He had not expected to hear that. The only thing he had heard was that the former king had disappeared. “-I decided to frame Wallik for the murder, of course he got furious and decided to use that as an excuse to start a war, which is what I wanted.”

“Clever,” Ulquiorra commented. “You lost your father and then got into a war that you did not start, the others will have sympathy for you, making it easier to gather allies, especially against Wallik.”

“Pretty much.”

“It could have backfired however,” Ulquiorra decided to add, and Grimmjow rose an eyebrow slightly, silently telling him to keep talking. “If you had not already appeared as a strong person, then many would have seen this as the opportunity to take you down. After all, a new king lacks political experience, and many will try to take advantage of that, either by manipulating you or by forcing you into a situation you would not want to find yourself in.”

“Good thing I had already been working alongside my father for a couple of years then,” Grimmjow grinned.

“And you’re well known on the front line,” Ulquiorra added.

“I like your insight. Maybe I should let you join some of our war meetings.”

“You’re certain your advisers would agree with a slave giving out suggestions next to them?” Ulquiorra asked. This was such a strange suggestion he couldn’t help but question it.

“Yes. They can deal with it, I make the decisions, and neither them nor you should question them.” Though he said that, he did not appear upset, instead his eyes were lighting up.

“My apologies for questioning you, it was not my place.”

“Fuck that. Question all you want. It might get you in trouble though, but I like that you have a mind of your own.”

For a moment they just looked at each other. To Ulquiorra it was so strange to have a master who told him to think, to give his opinion and even speak against him. This was something he had never been prepared for. He knew consent still didn’t matter, but in terms of politics he could apparently speak up if he believed a decision to be bad. That on top of the fact that he was actually going to be included in politics, that was close to unthinkable.

“I haven’t even fucked you yet, and already I have to say that I enjoy you,” Grimmjow chuckled. “Never thought a conversation with a slave could be entertaining.”

“I am educated, and was trained to do more than just provide sexual pleasure.”

“Yeah. I know. You guys really go for quality over there, and I’m already starting to see how high those standards of yours are. I have other high end slaves, but you’re already leagues above them.”

Ulquiorra could only think of two other houses that was trying to compete with his own. Granz and Antenor, and Ganz was pretty close, though much smaller than the Cifer house, and much younger so they had some way to go in terms of reputation and size. Antenor was even younger, and pretty remote, so Ulquiorra didn’t know much of them, just that those who could not be bothered to travel to get themselves a Cifer or Granz would go for an Antenor.

“Are you surprised?” Ulquiorra asked. “There is a reason we are priced so highly, and it’s not just because of our looks.”

“True…” Grimmjow hummed, his gaze settling on the choker around Ulquiorra’s neck. It would be changed out once they got to Ulquiorra’s new home. “Has the Cifer’s ever had a ruined choker come back?”

Ulquiorra took a moment to respond. That was a question he had expected, but it was still an uncomfortable one. “Not one that was intentionally ruined. We had one damaged one sent back, there was blood on it. The Cifer had used himself as a human shield to protect his master.”

The choker was more than just a symbol of who the owner was. Once Grimmjow gave Ulquiorra the new choker, he would keep Ulquiorra’s old one, as he needed to change it back if he ever decided to send Ulquiorra back. If he sent an intentionally ruined choker back to the house it meant the slave had done something wrong, gone against its master in a way that could not be forgiven. It was common among lower ranked slaves, but for a house like Cifer to have a slave disobey their master, that would have been a tragedy.

If the slave had died in some way, the choker would also be sent back, but with some sign of what had happened, often with blood on it. Many times aged or old choker would be returned as the slave had died of age, if they kept them for that long.

Then, of course, most of them they would get perfectly fine chokers sent back. It meant that the owner was intending to keep the Cifer forever. The Cifer would stay with their master until their death, and with that the master also promised that their house would care for said slave once they got too old to work. This was what every Cifer was trained to achieve, and each choker that had been sent back because their master intended to keep them forever was on display.

“Have you ever sent back a ruined choker?” Ulquiorra asked.

“Many,” Grimmjoe replied.

“Can I ask what the slaves did?”

“One decided to bite me when I had sex with him. He had been perfectly calm before, but something snapped. I couldn’t have someone like that around, who knew what he might try to do next. Then I’ve had several others who has tried to flee, or tried to fight the guards or been rather destructive. All of them lower level slaves, after all sometimes there’s some pretty ones on the cheap market, sadly they aren’t very well trained.” The whole time he was talking the smirk never left his lips. “Then again, I enjoy a challenge.”

“Do you want me to be a challenge?”

“Nah, your complete obedience will feel just as good.”

“How many slaves do you have?”

Grimmjow had to think for a moment before he answered. “Around 20 I think.” That number was lower than Ulquiorra had expected. Kings would sometimes have up to one hundred slaves. The more the better, but perhaps Grimmjow was picky, or he was getting rid of a lot of slaves. He would have to wait and see, as that was something he wouldn’t ask. Either way, it meant that Ulquiorra needed to make sure he did exceptionally well as Grimmjow’s standards were higher than most would be in his position. Many would just hoard slaves because they could, buying all the ones he found to be attractive, but Grimmjow was clearly looking for more than just appearance.

He shifted a bit on Grimmjow’s lap, just making sure that he was comfortable as it really seemed like he was going to be kept there for a while, and he was right. How long he had been on Grimmjow’s lap he had no idea, the whole time there was light conversation and a lot of touching going on, but despite how aroused Grimmjow was he never tried to escalate things, and didn’t ask Ulquiorra to do anything either.

“Fuck I’m getting hungry,” Grimmjow hummed, with that he gave the wall behind himself three sharp knocks so that the driver would know to stop. “And get off my lap.” Ulquiorra did as he was told and took a seat next to Grimmjow instead. “Do you want anything to eat?”

“Yes, please.”

They stopped and Grimmjow opened the door and stepped outside. Ulquiorra suspected he was meant to stay inside so he didn’t move. It took a while, but Grimmjow soon returned and took a seat again. Not long after that several servants appeared with food, and wine, for them.

“It’s not much, but it’s hard to transport proper meals that won’t take fucking ages to prepare,” Grimmjow said as he bit into some sort of bread Ulquiorra had never seen before, it looked to be filled with herbs and olives.

“That’s understandable.”

The meal was finished soon enough and they were on the move once more. This time Ulquiorra decided to peak outside to see where they were right now, and he was almost tempted to lean outside to get a better look.

They were in a forest so dark it almost made it look like it was night. The trees were blocking out the skies, and the trees were so thick a family would be able to comfortably live inside of them.

“Are these roads safe?” Ulquiorra asked. They appeared to be perfect place for bandits to hide and wait for someone to attack.

“Safe for me, yes, others, probably not. Especially during winter.”

“We’re in the Forever forest,” Ulquiorra commented suddenly. Now he knew where they were. This forest was thick and even during winter snow never reached the ground. It was always in one season, and because of that, this road was used a lot during winter to get between Murcielago and Panthera. During summer there were other roads that were safer between the two countries, though not as direct. On top of that, there were many myths and legends about the creatures people believed to live in here, so any superstitious person would do whatever they could to avoid having to step foot inside this place. Especially since you would be trapped inside this place for at least a day. That’s how long it would take to get through it, and staying here over night was something very, very few wished.

“Didn’t think you would recognize it,” Grimmjow grinned.

“You really are taking a risk by travelling through here.”

“Life would be boring without a bit of danger, don’t you think?”

“I prefer calculated risks.”

“Same shit.”

Ulquiorra sent Grimmjow a short look, but didn’t respond even though he disagreed. He knew when to hold his tongue, so he continued to look out, studying the nature they were passing by, and trying to see if he could spot any sort of movement in the dark.

“Enjoying the view?” Grimmjow suddenly asked and Ulquiorra turned to look at him. Now he noticed that the other had moved, and he immediately knew why.

To look out Ulquiorra was on his knees in the seat, and leaning forward,so it was almost like he was on all four. Grimmjow had shifted back a bit, and well… he was certainly enjoying the view.

“The nature is different from what I’m used to,” Ulquiorra replied and looked back outside again. For now he could just sit here and look around to pass time. They still had a very long way to go.

“Come here.”

Ulquiorra almost jumped when Grimmjow spoke. He had been lost in his own mind as time had slowly passed by. Looks like the king was tired of the silence. So Ulquiorra turned and crawled closer.

“Good boy. You know, while I was sitting here, I let my imagination get the better of me, and since I decided not to have fun with you earlier, I figured it was about time to test out one of your many skills,” Grimmjow said as he reached out and cupped Ulquiorra’s jaw with one hand, his thumb brushing over Ulquiorra’s soft bottom lip.

“What would you like me to do for you?”

“Guess.”

So we were playing games now. Fine.

“You would like me to use my mouth to pleasure you?”

“Exactly. Show me how good that pretty mouth of yours is.”

With that Grimmjow let go of Ulquiorra’s jaw, and moved to undo his pants, and made sure to keep the blue tunic he was wearing out of the way. Soon enough his cock was freed, and Ulquiorra took a moment to study it. It was thicker than average, he could tell that much, but other than that it appeared to be a perfectly normal and healthy penis, so there should be no problem for him to take care of it.

He changed his position. Now laying down next to the king, one elbow used to hold his upper body up as he leaned over Grimmjow’s lap. One hand gently gripping the base of Grimmjow’s cock, before he decided to look up at him.

“Is this position okay, or would you prefer me to sit between your legs?” After all, he didn’t exactly get much of a view when he was in this position.

“This is fine. I’ll get to see what you look like sucking my cock later on,” Grimmjow replied.

Ulquiorra turned his attention back to his master’s cock. Very well. He leaned down and took the head into his mouth and gently sucked on it, his tongue circling it, then he slowly took in more and more of the length. The whole time being careful that his teeth didn’t touch the smooth skin, and kept his jaw and throat relaxed. With Grimmjow being a bit girthier than average, he knew his jaw and throat was going to feel sore when he was done, but that was just part of the job.

He could hear a pleased sound come from Grimmjow as he started to move up and down. Each time he moved down he took the whole cock into his mouth, feeling it at the back of his throat each time. Now fully adjusted to his master’s cock he picked up the pace a bit, going faster, and made sure to hum slightly around it whenever all of it was inside his mouth.

“Good boy,” Grimmjow groaned, and Ulquiorra noticed that the other had grabbed a fistful of his black hair, but was not trying to control the pace, just holding.

He continued to move, and tried to pick up on any signs that Grimmjow was getting close, trying to interpret what the quiet noises he made meant, other than enjoyment. The quicker he learned these things the easier it would be for him to do his job as he couldn’t count on Grimmjow telling him what he liked. Often slaves were expected to just know exactly how to do their job perfectly.

His tongue moving against the shaft, and head. He could taste the precum that was leaking from the head, a taste he really didn’t mind. In fact, Grimmjow’s cock was a lot more pleasant to have in his mouth than he had expected. The toys he had been training with hadn’t been this nice, so at least that was making his job a lot easier to do.

“Fuck,” Grimmjow hissed, Ulquiorra took it as a sign that he was getting close, so he was getting ready for the load of cum that would fill his mouth or back of his throat at some point soon.

It didn’t take long, and just as Grimmjow came he forced Ulquiorra’s head down, so he came at the back of his throat. Ulquiorra didn’t mind, he just made sure to swallow around the cock until Grimmjow’s grip loosened and he felt him soften in his mouth. That was when he pulled back and sat up. As predicted his jaw and throat felt sore, but he didn’t immediately reach for the water that was on a small table. After all, it might make it appear as though he disliked the way Grimmjow tasted.

“Better than some of the experienced slaves I have, but you’ve still got a way to go,” Grimmjow said as he tucked himself back into his pants.

“I will do better next time, my apologies for not being satisfactory.” That was frustrating.

Grimmjow laughed, which only confused Ulquiorra. “The fuck are you talking about? Yeah, you’ll be better next time, but how many real dicks have you actually sucked?”

“None.”

“And you’re this fucking good only sucking fabricated cock? Fucking hell that mouth of yours is going to be heaven when you gain a bit of experience.”

Ulquiorra blinked. Grimmjow wasn’t displeased, just honest, which Ulquiorra did appreciate, but at the same time, he was raised to always try to reach for perfection, so to be told he still wasn’t there was frustrating.

“With you around, the other slaves are going to become useless soon enough,” Grimmjow chuckled and reached out to caress Ulquiorra’s cheek. Affection was strange, but it could be expected so he didn’t react. “Or maybe not.” It was said in such a thoughtful way that Ulquiorra couldn’t help the questioning look he gave the other. “Sometimes sex is a good way to get out some frustration… but I don’t want to use you for that.”

“I understand.” He cleared his throat afterwards. Okay, now he needed to get water. He slowly reached out and got himself a glass.

“Sore throat?” Grimmjow asked with a smug grin. At least that was his first assumption.

“Yes.”

Silence settled around them for a while. It thankfully wasn’t an uncomfortable kind of silence. Instead Grimmjow looked out of the window for a while, then went to read through some papers that were stored in a compartment. Ulquiorra didn’t ask, instead he continued to look outside. For how long had they been travelling now? It must be getting late, or at least he was starting to think so as he was growing tired.

“Get some sleep. I’ll wake you if I need you,” Grimmjow said.

Ulquiorra nodded, though he stayed awake for a bit longer before he curled up on the soft seats and used his coat as a blanket. Thankfully it wasn’t all that cold, for now, so the coat was more than enough to keep him warm.

Slowly he opened his eyes, and the first thing he noticed was that a fur cape had been draped over him. So Grimmjow had wanted to prevent him from getting cold during the night then. How kind of him.

He slowly sat up. Across from himself was Grimmjow, awake. Had he slept at all?

“Hungry?” Grimmjow asked, followed by a yawn. He looked like he could need a couple hours of sleep.

“Sleepy?” Ulquiorra asked in return.

“I’m fucking fine,” Grimmjow growled. “I can’t sleep when I’m travelling like this.”

Ulquiorra thought for a moment. “Lack of safety, I assume.”

“Right you are.”

Any noble, and especially a king, would be wise to stay on guard when travelling. Especially when there was war and you knew someone wanted you dead. Who knew what sort of dangers might try get close while the king was asleep.

“You never answered. Hungry?” Grimmjow repeated.

“Not yet.” It usually took him a while after he woke up before he got hungry.

Though they soon enough stopped for a quick meal, and then they continued on. The forest still seemed endless, and once they were through he was greeted by nature unfamiliar to himself.

Tall mountains like spires that disappeared into forests, which then thinned out into farmlands. It was beautiful, and yet slightly claustrophobic.

“Finally out of that fucking forest,” Grimmjow sighed, and then let out a long yawn.

“May I come with a suggestion?” Ulquiorra said as he looked at the other. One thing he knew was expected of it was to care for his master’s health.

“Hm? What?”

“Rest. If there is anything then I will wake you, immediately,” Ulquiorra said.

“I can wait until I’m home,” Grimmjow grumbled.

Ulquiorra only sent Grimmjow a short look. Sure the other might have done this before, but he looked exhausted, so he questioned if he would be able to stay awake for much longer even if he tried.

Once more silence settled around them, Ulquiorra keeping himself occupied by looking outside the window, studying the new scenery before him. This is what he would have to get used to seeing every single day from now on. He couldn’t really see the capital from here, so he couldn’t tell how long it would take before they got home. His new home.

Grimmjow moved, causing Ulquiorra to turned his gaze towards him once more. He watched in silence while Grimmjow decided to lay down, using Ulquiorra’s lap as his pillow. Well, looks like he decided that sleep was in his best interest after all.

“Wake me if there is anything,” Grimmjow grumbled.

“Of course,” Ulquiorra replied softly.

It didn’t take long for Grimmjow to fall asleep, and he stayed asleep until the capital was within sight, and it had started to grow dark.

“Fuck I’m hungry,” he mumbled as he sat up.

“Do you wish to stop for food or wait until we’re home?”

“Eh? Have we come that far already?” Grimmjow asked and looked outside. “How fucking long did I sleep!?”

“A while,” Ulquiorra replied with a shrug.

Grimmjow groaned and rubbed the back of his head. His hair was more of a mess now than it had been before. “Nothing happened while I slept then?”

“No. Nothing. Do you feel any better?”

“Yeah… I guess. Still fucking tired tho.” That was said followed by a yawn.

Ulquiorra peaked outside again, looking towards the city, and the large castle that was on top of the hill, the city surrounding it. He looked over at the other as Grimmjow decided to look outside too.

“I’ll just wait until we’re home before getting something to eat. You hungry?” the King asked.

“A little.” That was an understatement, but for now he could manage it, and he didn’t want to make it appear as though he needed food right here and now.

“Then you’ll eat together with me once we get home.”

Ulquiorra nodded. “It would be an honor.” This was not unusual. No Lord, or King, should have to eat alone.

For another minute everything was quiet around them, then Grimmjow decided to speak up once more.

“Tell me. What was it like growing up.”

“You want to know my life story?” Ulquiorra asked, a bit amused by this. What a strange man this king was.

“Yes.”

Well then. Seems like he really did have an odd one on his hands here. He had never been prepared for this, for dealing with a man who might be interested in where he came from or who he was. Something like that could happen later on as his master grew attached to him, but so soon? This was very strange.

“I don’t know who my birth mother is, or who they paired her with. Only the breeding faculty knows this. It doesn’t matter either way,” Ulquiorra started.

“So, from the very beginning things weren’t exactly normal for you uh?” Grimmjow commented. It didn’t sound like he pitied him, which was good.

“This is what is normal to me. I don't know anything else,” Ulquiorra said with a shrug.

“Hmm. I suppose you’re right. Everyone there probably grew up the same way as you did.”

“Correct.” There was a short pause in case the king had any other comments or questions, but he didn’t, so he continued on. “The first few years is all about staying healthy and growing, and socializing. The ones working at the house trying to figure out what sort of future you should have. Would you be a good slave? A good breeder? A good worker? They try to predict if you would become pretty while growing up, but most was decided on personality at that stage.”

“So, what sort of personality were they looking for?” Grimmjow asked.

“Someone intelligent, calm and obedient. Though the final decision wouldn’t be made until we turned 16, so at first it would just be speculation and notes made that would in the end turn into their final decision.”

He looked outside. They were moving through a small town now, one of the many surrounding the city. Farmers and their farmhands lives around here, some smaller pubs and inns and probably a small market too.

“Our education started when we were about six. The first we had to learn was how to read and write, and one instrument. How to manage social situations were still the most important one. No one would want an awkward slave, unless that’s the kind of persona you wanted them to have, but these were the basic skills we had to learn from early on.”

“Makes sense. Never liked those awkward ones, they were annoying, and you can’t really show them off, they just make you look bad. That and they have no idea how to take orders properly. Sure they’re fine if you just need them for a quick fuck now and then, just make them turn around and tell them to shut up and they’re fine enough,” Grimmjow shrugged.

Ulquiorra nodded. “So, after a few years, we would start to learn some math, and geography, then history.”

“Fuck you guys are getting some high level education over there.”

“We’re expensive for a reason. At the age of twelve we also started to learn self defense. I remember how hectic many felt the schedule was. In one day we might have history, literature, self defense, horseback riding, and piano. There were also other smaller things we learned, like how to swim, and take care of our bodies.”

“So you know how to use a weapon then?” Grimmjow grinned and leaned a bit closer. “What sort of weapon do you use?”

“I’m competent with sword and spear, and can use bow and arrow, but my aim is not the best.”

“I’d love to see you in action,” Grimmjow grinned. “Bet you would look fucking hot slicing some guy open with a sword.”

“Perhaps you will get to witness that one day,” Ulquiorra replied.

He looked outside once more. They were past the village. Soon they would be by the city gates.

“So then at the age of 16 we were chosen to see who would become what. There were three categories, slaves, breeder, or shade. You would become a slave if you had the looks and personality for it, a breeder if you had the looks, but for some reason they decided they did not wish to sell you, and shade if you lacked what they needed in a breeder or slave. A shade would become anything from a teacher, to a gardener, to a farmer, or maybe a cook. Anything else we needed. One of the ones I considered a friend back then started working in the stables, while another started working to become the nest violin teacher.”

“So they had some choice in the sort of occupation they would have then?”

“Yes.”

“Man you guys got a lot of freedom, which is fucking ironic.”

“I suppose, though this never felt forced.”

“So you never felt like someone else decided that you were going to become a slave? Think you’re going to feel like a slave while you’re here?”

Ulquiorra shook his head. “I never felt like I never had any other choice, and I don’t think I’m going to feel like I’m a slave while I’m here.”

“I guess that’s one of the things that sets you guys apart from the rest. It fucking sounds like you’re being trained to do a job, rather than being forced into servitude. Man they did a good job grooming you guys.”

Ulquiorra nodded in response. “They did.” Oh he knew he was groomed, but that fact didn’t bother him. At least it meant that he was well prepared to do a job he didn’t mind doing. He could only imagine what it was like for those slaves who were pushed into this position and didn’t want to be there. It must be hell to them. Such a pity.

“So, you were chosen to become a slave then, when you were 16,” Grimmjow added, pushing them back to the main topic they had been dealing with. Just as he said that Ulquiorra could feel the cart stop. They were by the city gates.

“Correct. I had the personality and looks they were looking for. After being chosen my education continued on as usual, but with some additional classes. Sexual education, and acting being the first two added,” Ulquiorra replied.

The cart started moving again. They were heading into the city now.

“Sexual education?” Grimmjow almost laughed. “It sounds so dumb, though I expected you would have had a class like that to learn how to pleasure someone.”

“Correct, but at first it was all about learning anatomy, how the body worked, and getting even more used to nakedness. We were already pretty used to it as it was not a taboo, but now we had to get even more used to us being naked around others.” Ulquiorra paused for a moment and looked outside. He couldn’t see the castle from here, but he could see that crowds were forming along the streets. This was to be expected, after all, their King was returning home. “After a year they started to show us sexual images, or have us witness sexual acts. I remember it being strange at first, especially since the whole time we were made aware that we would be doing the things they showed us.”

“Did you ever get hard from witnessing any of that?” Grimmjow asked.

“No.” The thought of a slave getting excited by the thought of having sex, that was almost laughable. They weren’t meant to gain pleasure, they were there to provide it. “Then from watching others having sex, we started to get trained to do just that. The toys used were very life like.”

“What was it like the first time something entered you?”

“Painful.”

“But you managed to deal with it?”

“Of course. There were some who did not handle the pain, and at this point it was decided that some of the ones they had thought would be good slaves were not fit to do the job after all. Some would struggle, or try to say no.”

Grimmjow chuckled at that. “Like they have a fucking choice.”

“Exactly,” Ulquiorra nodded. “Sometimes we would be awoken in the middle of the night, to simulate a master wanting to use us at any given point of the day, and at times we would get pulled out of other classes or in the middle of a break. It was very strange at first, and I remember feeling torn between my duty as a student to the class I was in and as a future slave.”

“Did you ever try to resist?”

Ulquiorra shook his head. “Never.”

“Such a good boy,” Grimmjow grinned.

Ulquiorra didn’t comment, instead he looked outside again. These streets were different from what he had once been used to. They were wider, and the houses on either side were huge too, and they all appeared to be shops. Clothes, jewelry, various household items. One shop appeared to only sell teacups, while another was pretty much focused on sapphire jewelry. This was was rich, insanely so, and it was surreal considering the war that was going on. How did they manage to continue to spend like this?!

“I’ll take you for a walk in the city one day, maybe get you some nice clothes or accessories,” Grimmjow said.

“How kind of you,” Ulquiorra replied. 

“Gotta parade you around for a bit,” Grimmjow grinned. Ulquiorra had suspected as much.

The scenery changed, and now they were following an even wider road, but instead of houses there were parks on either sides of them. They should be close to the castle now, but he couldn’t see it without leaning out of the window. After another minute or so he decided to do just that, which amused the King as he chuckled.

The castle was huge! It clung to the side of a mountain, and Ulquiorra was willing to bet that most of the inside of that mountain was also made to a part of the castle, so what he was seeing right here wasn’t even all of it.

This… this monster of a stone structure in front of him was his new home.


	3. A little tour

They stopped outside of the front entrance and one of the guards working in the castle opened the door. Grimmjow exited first, and then Ulquiorra followed along, his cape wrapped around his body once more. For a moment he just stopped to stare at the huge castle. He had heard stories of how dizzying these places could be, though he didn’t really feel that. Actually, he was more curious than anything, wondering what the inside was like, and how they managed to use up all that space. He was pretty sure most of it was just for show however.

“What do you think?” Grimmjow asked with a grin.

“Impressive.”

“Doesn’t sound like you’re all that impressed.”

“Oh, but I am, it is far larger than anything I have ever seen before, but I suppose that is overshadowed by my curious side.”

“You want to know what’s inside?”

“Of course.”

Grimmjow wrapped an arm around the smaller male and together they walked towards the steps and slowly made their way up it. Everything was unnecessary in size. These stairs were so big, you could easily place a house or two on them. However, that’s how royals lived. Everything to show off their own wealth and make those who visited feel as small as possible.

“I can’t decide if I want to give you a tour first, or give you a test ride,” Grimmjow grinned. He looked so eager.

Ulquiorra only looked over at him for a moment. It really was up to Grimmjow, Ulquiorra himself didn’t have a say in what was to happen. It sounded like it really depended on how much patience Grimmjow had left.

They entered the huge front doors that looked to have been made for giants. He really did feel small right now, thankfully he didn’t have the pride of a Lord so it didn’t bother him. Instead he found himself wondering about the construction. Must have been a lot of work to get those doors there.

Behind those doors were a hall, and straight ahead was a throne. Once more, everything was oversize, except the throne. Made sense. If you made the throne too large the king would look like a child when he sat in it. Around them were tall pillars to support the ceilings. Up ahead he could see stained glass windows, the lighting filtering through it causing the patterns and colors on the glass to reflect on the floor before them. He was certain that it must look beautiful during the day. Everything around them was meticulously created. Light blue satin hanging from the ceiling, twisting around some of the pillars, paintings hanging on the walls, some of them bigger than himself. Guards stationed between each pillar and on either side of the throne.

“Your reaction is so hard to read,” Grimmjow commented.

“My apologies, I’ll be more expressive.”

“No. Don’t act. I want to figure you out on my own, and I like that you’re a bit of a challenge.”

“If you say so.”

“But tell me, what do you think?”

“It’s magnificent.”

“Of course it is. I wouldn’t allow for anything less.” There was a short pause before Grimmjow continued to speak. “Let me show you something I’m sure you’ll like.”

Ulquiorra followed along. He could feel the guards looking after them as they walked. They headed out a door to the right and down a long hallway. For half a second Ulquiorra paused. To their right were rows and rows of windows, framed with sheer curtains, all in a light blue color. The view from here was incredible. He could see the city and beyond, see how it lit up in the dim lights, and see the stars scattered above the mountains far in the distance. To their left were doors, all spaced far apart indicating the size of the rooms behind them.

“Hm?” Grimmjow turned to look at the slave.

“I feel like I can see the whole world from here,” Ulquiorra said and walked up to the other once more.

“Really? I’ll have to show you the tower then someday, the view is even better up there.”

They continued down the long, long hallway, Ulquiorra’s gaze shifting towards the windows every now and then. After a long walk they reached a heavy double door, and two guards opened them for the pair. Another hallway. This one going both left and right, and on the floor was a long carped, it was royal blue, with a gold border going along it. Looking left and right, the hallway they were now in disappeared around corners on either side. This place was going to take some time to get used to.

“You’re allowed to go wherever you want in this area. So let me show you around a bit,” Grimmjow said and headed left. Ulquiorra followed.

They stopped by one of the many doors and Grimmjow opened in and they stepped inside. Behind this door was the largest library Ulquiorra had ever seen. His eyes widened in amazement as he moved further into the large room. He couldn’t even see all of it from here, and he was willing to guess that there were close to a million books in here. Never in his life could he have imagined such a collection.

“So, judging by that look on your face, you’ll be spending quite a bit of time in here?” Grimmjow asked.

“Yes,” Ulquiorra confirmed.

“Well, at least it’ll be used then. I’m not much of a reader, I just like to collect.”

“It’s an impressive collection you have managed to gather.”

“Of course. There is a copy of every book written in my country here, and I have several traders going across borders to gather books, and other objects, from other countries. My great great grandfather started this collection, so I figured I might as well continue it.” Grimmjow shrugged and turned walked out of the room, and even though Ulquiorra would have preferred to stay in here for a while longer he followed along. He would get to explore the library later.

They continued down the hallway and Grimmjow walked past two doors before pausing in front of the third one and turned towards Ulquiorra.

“One of my medicine men lived in here, so if you’re not feeling well, go to him. On that note, you can ask anything of the servants and guards walking around here, they’ll know to listen,” Grimmjow said, and Ulquiorra nodded.

They continued on, and as they rounded a corner they came to a set of stairs, both going up and down. “Downstairs are the kitchen, and some of the other slaves, rooms for the servants, and some other things. Upstairs are guest rooms.” Ulquiorra nodded again, taking a mental note of this. He would explore properly on his own later.

They continued around another corner, and Ulquiorra figured they were behind the library now. Another long hallway. And there were a lot more doors here.

“Rooms meant for meetings.”

Well, this place wasn’t well organized. It really did seem like Grimmjow had just taken two steps into some of these rooms and decided what it would be used for without thinking of where it was in relation to anything else. He wasn’t going to say this out loud of course, but he knew that this would make it a bit harder to get to know this place.

They turned another corner, and passed a few more doors… who knew what they were for, Grimmjow didn’t say anything. Then around another corner. That was the thing about old places like this, there was no structure as they had continued to expand and build and change, it all depended on the current king. Oh well, he would grow used to this eventually.

Grimmjow paused in front of a door and opened it. “And here is your room.”

Ulquiorra walked inside and looked around. It was large. To his right was a huge bed, with soft silky sheets and more pillows than necessary. Ahead of him was a glass door that lead out into a garden, and he could see that there was a pool out there too. The rest of the wall ahead of him were just windows, making it looked like there really wasn’t much of a wall there, just pillars and arches holding up the ceiling. The floor was covered in soft carpet, the design indicating that it came from the north somewhere.

He looked to his left and he could see an opening in the wall there. As he walked over he saw that it was a bathroom, with a large bathtub and everything. Well, this was luxury. At least this would make it incredibly easy for him to take good care of himself here.

“This should be good enough for you. I’m pretty sure even my wife doesn’t get this sort of treatment,” Grimmjow laughed.

“It is a lot, thank you. I will be sure to repay your kindness,” Ulquiorra replied as he walked back to his master.

“Fuck yes you will,” Grimmjow grinned. “I’ll finally get to try you out. Man have I been-”

“Your Majesty.”

Both Grimmjow and Ulquiorra turned towards the hallway where a guard had appeared.

“What?!” Grimmjow barked, clearly angry by this interruption.

“Your Majesty, the Queen is requesting your presence. It appears to be urgent.”

Grimmjow groaned in frustration. “She’s just mad I got another slave,” he huffed. “Fine, I’ll see her.” He turned back towards Ulquiorra. “I’ll be back in a moment.”


	4. Test Drive

Ulquiorra watched Grimmjow leave the room, together with the guard; who barely dared look at Ulquiorra. The door closed, and Ulquiorra was alone. He looked around once more. This place really was beautiful. He walked over the the bed and let his fingers glide over the soft sheets. For a second he wondered just how much these fabrics cost. How long had this room been kept like this, just waiting for someone to live in it.

Live in it.

This was his new home. He had always known he would be sold to live in a place like this, yet when it happened it didn’t feel completely real. Part of him still expected to wake up back in his room in the Schiffer mansion. It was going to feel surreal to wake up after his first night here.

He lifted his gaze and looked towards the large glass doors. There was no way for him to imagine how expensive those must have been to make. He knew glass was valuable, and here was a wall almost covered in it. The doors opened with ease as he walked over to them, and he stepped outside into this private garden of his. There were no windows or doors on the other walls around it, meaning that only he could see this place.

He had a surprising amount of privacy. Up until now he had been prepared to be put on display, to be paraded around like a priced horse, yet here he had a place where no one would see him. A place where he was perfectly alone. This would take a bit of adjusting to, all of this would. Of course they had been warned about that, and told to not let their master see how any sort of changes might affect you.

Further into the garden was the pool. Steps were on all sides of it, making it easy to enter into the water. Ulquiorra removed one of his shoes and dipped the foot into the water. It was a bit cold, probably a lot more comfortable on a day that was hot. The shoe was put on again and he walked around the garden. The trees and flowers here were well kept. He couldn’t see any weeds or anything like that. The grass on the ground wasn’t too long either. They must have made sure this place was kept perfect too.

There was a sound coming from the door. Grimmjow must be back. So he walked around the tree he had been at, once more becoming visible to the glass wall. He had been right, Grimmjow just walked in to the room. For a moment the king looked around, then his eyes found Ulquiorra and watched as his new toy walked back into the room.

“What do you think?” he asked.

“It has a very relaxing atmosphere.” He could see himself reading books under that cherry tree that was there.

“You’ll get time to relax there later,” Grimmjow said with a grin and before Ulquiorra could answer, the cape that had kept him modest up until now was removed and pooled on the floor around his feet. “I’ll finally get to know what that pretty body of yours feels like.”

So impatient. Ulquiorra was a bit amused by that, but he wouldn’t dare tease his master when it came to this, it could be seen as denying him what was rightfully his. So he removed his shoes and walked over to the bed and crawled into it. So incredibly soft.

He turned towards Grimmjow. The King was making his way towards him, his tunic open and he was working to undo his belt. He was working with haste, eager to get to use his new slave.

“How do you want me?” Ulquiorra asked.

“On all four.”

Ulquiorra nodded and got in position. A second later he felt more weight being added to the bed as Grimmjow joined him. Some more movement, then there was a hand running down his back, then taking a turn to settle on his hip instead.

“You’re presenting yourself nicely.”

Grimmjow sounded so pleased when he spoke, Ulquiorra could pretty much hear how much he was grinning. He closed his eyes, focusing on just keeping his muscles relaxed, he knew the other would enter soon and he would like there to be as little pain as possible. Grimmjow was girthy, so he knew it would be impossible to go through this without there being at least some pain, or at least quite a bit of discomfort. He would grow used to it.

The tip of Grimmjow’s cock pressed against Ulquiorra’s entrance. Ulquiorra had expected him to just enter, but no, he wanted to take his time with this. How very strange.

“Remind me, how many people have you been fucked by previously?”

“No one.”

“I’ll be your first, and my cock will be the only one you’ll ever know.”

“Yes.”

That was when he felt Grimmjow enter. It hurt. Being opened like that around his thick cock was far from a comfortable experience, but Grimmjow was taking it a lot slower than what he had been prepared for, so it wasn’t half as bad as he thought it would have been. Still, it hurt, it burned, but he just kept breathing calmly through it. He would get used to this eventually, this was just the worst of it.

“Fuck, you’re nice and tight,” Grimmjow groaned. His full length inside Ulquiorra now, his hole stretched wide around the king’s thick cock. “I almost worried you wouldn’t be able to handle me.”

Ulquiorra was almost tempted to scoff at that last part. Grimmjow was girthy, but not to the point where Ulquiorra would have been worried, though he didn’t doubt that anyone untrained and unwilling was in a world of pain if they had to deal with this.

A low gasp came from him when Grimmjow moved. It was not out of pleasure, but because of the discomfort. Some of the pain was gone, but he knew it would be replaced by other uncomfortable sensation, and thankfully he knew how to deal with it all, so he kept calm and relaxed as the other slowly moved in and out of him. The thrusts were slow and deep. Ulquiorra could feel him move deep inside of him, and then slowly pull out, only to thrust inside of him again. Despite the discomfort, Ulquiorra moved with him, being a participant rather than just a sex toy Grimmjow could position however he wanted.

The grip Grimmjow had on his hips tightened, and he got a bit rougher. Deep groans coming from him as he kept thrusting into his new plaything. The pain was back, and the burning sensation he had felt earlier was growing worse as he was getting sore. For how long was Grimmjow planning to keep going? Most slaves would deal with short sessions, he knew that, but he had also been told that some masters liked to take their time with higher ranked slaves, drawing out the session and truly just enjoy the slave’s body.

Another sharp gasp came from Ulquiorra when Grimmjow decided to roughly grab his hair with one hand. Now Grimmjow was fucking him ruthlessly, hard and fast, slamming into Ulquiorra.

“Fuck,” Grimmjow hissed. Was he close?

His movements felt a bit erratic now, making it harder for Uquiorra to follow his movements, but he somewhat managed.

“Say my name,” Grimmjow groaned.

“King Grimmjow,” Ulquiorra, his voice slightly strained due to the pain he was in. “Grimmjow.” He kept repeating the King’s name, over and over again.

Grimmjow slammed into him one last time and stilled, the grip he had on Ulquiorra’s hip was bruisingly hard, and so was the grip he had on his hair. Ulquiorra was certain that he ripped out quite a few strands of his hair with how rough he was.

Grimmjow let go of Ulquiorra’s hair, and then slowly pulled out. Ulquiorra could hear that the King was still breathing heavily over his own gasps for breath. He could still feel the pain, though it was just a dull throbbing now, and he was more sore than anything. It didn’t matter, he couldn’t let it matter, he would have to walk and sit like normally despite the discomfort he was in. Only a low level slave would let something like this bother them.

“Man, I made a number out of you.”

Ulquiorra could feel Grimmjow’s hands spread his cheeks apart, clearly admiring his handiwork. He knew he was gaping, and it was probably also visible that he was sore. Grimmjow let go of Ulquiorra completely, though a second later he decided to give one of his cheeks a sharp slap, making Ulquiorra gasp.

“Think you’ll be able to handle another round later?” Grimmjow asked as he got out of bed and tucked himself back into his pants.

“Of course,” Ulquiorra said and sat up. Oh that was beyond uncomfortable, and by instinct he almost moved to another position to get away from what sitting like this made him feel. However, he was well trained, so he didn’t.

Grimmjow appeared to be amused as he tilted his head to the side and looked the other up and down.

“You don’t appear affected at all. Was I not rough enough?”

“I was conditioned to deal with this.”

“Of course you were. You even moved with me when I fucked you, that’s something none of my other slaves would do.”

“Did you like it?”

The grin on Grimmjow’s face only grew. “I fucking loved it.”

“Good.”

Grimmjow reached out and brushed his fingers across Ulquiorra’s cheek. The soft touch almost took him aback, and this time he really had to force himself to sit still. Why was Grimmjow being so gentle with him? Affection after sex, that was unusual.

“I’ve got to go. I’ll see you soon.”

Ulquiorra nodded and watched Grimmjow leave the room. Once he was gone he got up and walked into the bathroom. He knew he walked strangely, but no one was here to see it so he didn’t care. Once inside the bathroom he washed up rather quickly, a bit surprised by how warm the water was. How did they manage to do that without servants to come and pour the hot water into the tub? He had been privileged enough that the mansion he had grown up in had a water system installed, though it was revolutionary and rare, but here… they had warm water here.

Once done he got dressed, or as dressed as he was allowed. It was mostly silks draped across his body, though it barely covered anything. Which was fine. Dressed, he walked out of his room and headed towards the library. On the way he walked past a few guards who did nothing to hide the way they looked at him. Thankfully they knew better than to touch. He also walked by a servant who asked if he needed anything. At first he had been about to say that he didn’t need anything, but quickly realized that it had been a while since he had had any food, so that’s what he requested.

He got to the library and entered. It was so huge, and for a second he just stood there and looked around. It almost looked endless. Rows upon rows of shelves filled to the brim with books, and he could see two more floors due to the center of the room being open. The ceiling was painted like a summer sky. Light clouds and a few birds. The walls had trees covering them. Standing in the middle and looking around, it almost looked like a forest of books. Like a fantasy world taken from a fairytale. He was pretty sure he had dreamet of a place like this as a child.

With no destination or specific book in mind, he walked along the shelves and then paused and pulled out the first book that caught his gaze. It was old, bound in leather and wood, carved and painted. When he opened it he looked over the printed pages. It couldn’t be that old as the words were printed and not hand written. He looked over the first page. Science. This was a science book. He flipped though a few more pages. There were some drawings, machines he had never seen before and couldn’t tell what they would be used for. He placed the book back and continued on. Another was pulled out. Astronomy. He placed it back. All of this was science of some kind. Though interesting, that was not what he wanted to deal with right now, he was a bit too tired for that.

Another part of the library it was. He pulled out a book covered in red velvet. ‘You cannot love me’ was the title, so a romance. He shrugged, might as well. It would be light reading, so he took the book with him back to his room and made himself comfortable on the bed and started to read.

The food arrived, though it was a very light meal since he knew the King had wanted to eat together with him, but Ulquiorra was not going to let himself starve. So what he got was a bit of fruits and some bread. He continued to read while eating, and soon enough he had consumed what had been given to him, and the servants took it away.

Time passed. Ulquiorra couldn’t tell for how long he had been reading before the door opened and Grimmjow appeared.

“You’re eating together with me.”

“Of course.”

Ulquiorra got up and walked over to the other, who was looking him up and down. Once he was close enough, Grimmjow reached out to gently run his fingers over the slave’s naked chest.

“You look perfect.”

“That is part of my job.”

“Indeed it is. Though my wife might be a bit jealous.”

Oh, was the Queen going to be there too? That was going to be interesting. They didn’t appear to have the best of relationships, not that it was common for anyone in the upper classes to be in a loving relationship with the one they married. Why else would slaves be so popular? No, marriage was to form alliances, not something you did for love. Love… that was only found in books, and those books really proved why love was pointless. It made you act like an idiot, made you sacrifice so much, and often caused the death or one or both of the lovestruck idiots. Most romance books ended in tragedy, showing that romance should always stay a fantasy, because turning romance into reality would never end well.

They walked down along the hallway, towards one of the many dining halls that were here. The one they were apparently going to use was more towards the center of the castle. Ulquiorra continued to take in his surroundings, trying to memorize everything, but at this point he was certain that he was a bit too tired to properly add everything to memory. He would have to explore this place tomorrow.

They entered the dining hall. It was huge. Windows on either sides, covered in dark blue velvet curtains. They looked incredibly heavy. The walls were painted, depicting a feast, and the ceiling was covered in engraved stars. He was pretty sure they had used gold when painting said stars. The floor was covered in one huge woven carpet. It looked to be made out of silks, and were rich in color. The table they were to eat by could easily fit 50 people. It was almost ridiculous how big it was. It was made out of dark oak, and the edges had various intricate engravings. The chairs matched the table.

“You’re sitting next to me,” Grimmjow instructed as he walked over to one end of the table.

“As you wish.”

Just as Ulquiorra was about to sit down, Grimmjow reached out for him and placed a finger under his chin, tilting Ulquiorra’s head up a bit.

“I have to get you a new choker now that you’re mine,” he grinned.

“Yes, you do.”

Grimmjow’s hand moved, now cupping his jaw instead, his thumb brushing over his cheek. Again with these soft caresses. Affection was normal in small doses, but Grimmjow was touching him in this manner a lot more than what Ulquiorra would consider normal.

The doors opened, but Grimmjow didn’t move, his back was still turned towards it. Ulquiorra however couldn’t help his eyes flickering towards the door for a moment, only to quickly look back at the King.

“Who’s that?” a sharp voice said. Female, she sounded incredibly annoyed.

Now Grimmjow turned, his hand moving away from Ulquiorra’s face, but the warmth from it lingered. There was a slight scowl on Grimmjow’s face as he looked at his wife, and Ulquiorra dared look over at her once more.

Dark brown hair, all kept up in a hairdo he was sure had taken ages to set up. Her figure tightly corseted, so proper breathing was surely difficult. Her bust was probably on the larger side, as they looked liked the were threatening to jump out of the dress that was holding them restrained. The upper arms of the sleeves huge, but the lower part were fitted and covered in pearls, and the skirt full enough with so much fabric that it could probably be made to make four more dresses. It was all in dark purple and wine red.

“Why are you wearing that?” Grimmjow scoffed.

“Because I like it.”

“It’s hideous.”

This was going to be an interesting dinner.

“Not as hideous as that,” the Queen said and used her fan to point at Ulquiorra. “What is he doing here?”

“I wanted him to dine with me,” Grimmjow responded.

“So you would rather have one of your disgusting toys than me.”

“Yes. At least I would have pleasant company then.”

Grimmjow took a seat, and Ulquiorra followed his example. The Queen made sure to be seated far away from them, and Ulquiorra really questioned why they were eating together at all, and surprised one of them hadn’t tried to kill the other. 

The few moments of silence that lasted allowed Ulquiorra to really feel how tense and heavy the atmosphere was, it almost didn’t allow him to breath, but he continued to act like nothing, and now avoided looking at either of them as he was certain this would upset the Queen. Instead he allowed his mind to wander, though it hadn’t gone far before the Queen spoke up once more.

“You really don’t have enough of those nasty creatures.”

“Keep complaining and I’ll buy more of them.”

“You’re horrible.”

Grimmjow smirked, and Ulquiorra couldn’t help but look over at him for a moment. His blue gaze was so sharp he was certain that he was trying to pierce straight though his wife. If looks could kill, then the Queen would certainly be dead by now.

“You have a dungeon full of these… boys…” The last word was spat.

Ulquiorra almost reacted. Only males? Usually a noble would have both male and female slaves. Was Grimmjow only buying male ones since the Queen pointed this out? That was very strange.

The food arrived, and it was a lot more food than necessary. There was enough for at least ten people. Fruits and vegetables, there was roasted turkey, various fish and shellfish, he could see pork and he was certain that there was venison there too.

“Pick whatever it is you like,” Grimmjow said as he looked over at Ulquiorra. His voice silky smooth and just as gentle as the touch had been earlier. However, Ulquiorra could tell that he wasn’t doing it out of kindness or care this time, he was trying to provoke the Queen. Fantastic, now Ulquiorra was a weapon. However he did as he was told.

“How much did you pay for that one?” The Queen grumbled.

“500 000,” Grimmjow hummed as he got himself some venison.

“WHAT?!”

Ulquiorra almost dropped the steamed shrimps he had been about to put on his plate. He sent the Queen a short look. She was standing now, glaring daggers into Grimmjow who was pretty much ignoring her. Ulquiorra was certain he had never seen anyone that angry before.

“YOU WOULD SPEND 500 000 ON SOMETHING LIKE THAT!? YET, YOU CONTINUE TO TELL ME THAT YOU DON’T WISH TO WASTE MONEY ON THE NEW ICE JEWELS!? SAYING THAT THERE’S BETTER THINGS TO SPEND MONEY ON!”

“Fuck you’re loud,” Grimmjow growled. Apparently, her anger was keeping him somewhat calm, though it was understandable. With her blowing up, she had given Grimmjow the victory, so he didn’t have to get worked up. “Yes, I have better things to spend money on rather than those idiotic jewels of yours. Like him.” Grimmjow pointed at Ulquiorra. Great.

Now the Queen glared at Ulquiorra who was pretty much keeping his focus on his food. “And what is so good about you that makes you worth all that money?” The words were made out of pure venom.

“I am a Schiffer, I-”

“Oh, you’re one of those things.” She sounded even angrier.

“Yes, I-”

“Did I say you could speak?!”

Ulquiorra simply closed his eyes for a second and lowered his head. He was not going to do anything to further anger her, even if he was sure that his calm was also making her furious. She continued to glare at him, almost like she was daring him to do something that would allow her to punish him, but he did nothing. He kept calm and kept his gaze low, and because of that he almost jumped when he felt Grimmjow card his fingers through his hair.

The Queen let out a furious scream and stormed out of the room.

“She stayed for longer than I thought,” Grimmjow smiled and continued to eat.

Ulquiorra only sent him a look, but kept his tongue.

“Come on, you have something you want to say, say it, I want to hear it,” Grimmjow smirked.

“Is it normal for you and the Queen to argue like this?”

“Yeah, and that’s why I don’t want to deal with her. She’s a fucking pain, but it’s fun to piss her off.”

Ulquiorra sighed. Fine, he was going to ignore his training for a moment. “Thank you for placing a target on my back.”

Grimmjow burst out laughing. “If she tried, would you let her hurt you?”

“No.”

“Fucking awesome.” Grimmjow was pretty much beaming right now. He appeared to be genuinely happy, it was strange. “But, you won’t have to worry, I’m not going to let anyone harm you. I like you, I’ll make sure that you’re kept safe.”

“That is very kind of you.”

They continued to eat, and Grimmjow drank plenty of wine, while Ulquiorra was being pretty careful with the alcohol. He couldn’t handle much of it, so he was mostly drinking just to be polite.

“I’m surprised you’re able to sit as nicely as you are now. I’m sure you’re still sore after earlier.”

“As I said, I’m well trained.”

Grimmjow appeared to be done eating, and was now just watching Ulquiorra. Then he turned to look at the servants that were in the room and gestured for them to leave. Oh, really, now? Fine, Ulquiorra was close to being full anyway, so he didn’t mind the interruption he could tell was coming.

Slowly Grimmjow rose from his seat, and was already working to undo his belt. This man really did have an appetite.

“Get up,” Grimmjow purred and Ulquiorra continued to be obedient. From there Grimmjow guided him over to a part of the table that didn’t have any food it. “Lay back on the table.” Ulquiorra did just that, just legs hanging off of the edge. “You’re probably the tastiest thing on the table right now.”

Ulquiorra couldn’t help the slight smile at the corners of his lips. That was such a dumb thing to say, and very amusing too.

“Fuck you’re even prettier when you smile like that.”

“Want me to do it more often?”

“Only if it’s genuine.”

“Such a pity. I’ve been told that I’m a good actor.”

Why did he feel so relaxed with this man? This was not how he had expected it would be like to be owned. Playful banter, gentle touches, promises of protection. This was so strange. Even if he was a valuable object, he had not expected all of this.

“You can use that talent around others, but not with me. I only want you to be real when you’re with me.”

Grimmjow pushed some of the silks draped over Ulquiorra’s body aside, and pulled him a bit closer as he stood between the slave’s legs. Ulquiorra could feel Grimmjow’s cock against his entrance and he mentally prepared himself for the pain. It probably wouldn’t be as bad as earlier, but the burning and soreness would be so, so much worse now, he knew that.

A low groan came from Grimmjow when he entered, his whole length going inside at once, making Ulquiorra gasp in pain. Not so gentle this time, though it didn’t matter. Grimmjow stayed still for a second, his gaze lingering on Ulquiorra’s face, then it moved down his body. Blue eyes dark with desire. He shifted his stance a bit, hands gripping Ulquiorra’s hips, and then he started to thrust. Pulling almost all the way out, and then roughly trusting back in. Ulquiorra could feel every bit of it, it was almost like he was being ripped open, but it wasn’t too much for him. He had had his limits tested during training, he knew he could take a lot more, even if his master was girthy.

His chest was moving heavily with every gasp of breath he took, doing his best to focus on that rather than the cock that was moving hard and fast in and out of him. For a moment he lost that focus as one of Grimmjow’s hands were now caressing his body. Fine, he could pin his attention on that instead.

“Fuck… you’re so fucking gorgeous,” Grimmjow groaned.

So many compliments, though now they almost felt different. After meeting the Queen Ulquiorra found himself wondering if Grimmjow had ever looked at her with any desire… if they even slept together at all. Had Grimmjow ever looked at a female the way he had looked at him right before he had started fucking him? How strange it would be if he didn’t. A man was not suppose to be that attracted to another man… it was unnatural. Fucking a male slave was fine, but you could never have a male lover, that was wrong.

Grimmjow stilled, drawing Ulquiorra out of his thoughts. Had he been elsewhere for a second there, or had the rounded just been that quick? Neither would have surprised it, it wasn’t unusual for a slave to disappear into their own mind during sex just to get away from some of that pain. Apparently it helped keep some of them sane.

Grimmjow was breathing heavily, clearly he had had one hell of a round, though Ulquiorra felt like he must have been absent for parts of it, not that it looked like Grimmjow had noticed. Slowly Grimmjow pulled out and for that moment Ulquiorra felt like he couldn’t breath. That was painful. Yeah, he had most definitely been hiding in his own head for the duration of that round, something he should not be doing, he was trained not to. On the inside he scolded himself for letting that happen. Clearly he had already been letting his guard fall too much.

As Grimmjow stepped back, Ulquiorra slowly sat up, and had to hold back a groan. He was trained to manage a lot of rounds of this in one day, but he suppose that didn’t count with Grimmjow. How did other slaves, untrained slaves, handle him? Did he break them after one use?

“I’m really not going to need other slaves now that I have you,” Grimmjow grinned, he had still not calmed down completely. “Go and clean yourself up, and do whatever for the rest of the night. I’ll see you tomorrow… or later, I haven’t decided yet.”

Ulquiorra nodded and got to his feet. “I will stay near my room then.”

“You do that,” Grimmjow sighed. Now he was being soft again, and as Ulquiorra met his gaze he was met with the strangest look… those blue eyes looked so gentle… caring. Like Grimmjow was looking at something dear to him, not an object that was dear to him, but a person.

Ulquiorra watched him leave, and even as the door closed behind Grimmjow he didn’t move. That look. He shook his head. No more romance books, they were clearly having a dumb affect on him.


	5. Explore

Grimmjow did not need his services for the rest of that evening, so Ulquiorra had been by himself. So for the rest of that day he had read a bit more and then gone to bed. He was exhausted so it took no time for him to fall asleep.

“Mm?”

Something was touching his cheek. It moved. A hand? He opened his eyes and saw Grimmjow sitting on the edge of his bed. Sun was streaming into the room, so it was clearly the next day. For how long had he slept? At least he felt somewhat refreshed, though still a bit sore, but he could ignore it.

“Anything I can do for you?” Ulquiorra asked as he slowly sat up.

“Not really. Just wanted to have a look at you. I’ve got a busy fucking day today, so I might have time to see you later in the evening.”

Grimmjow moved his hand away from Ulquiorra’s face. So, he had just walked in here to watch him sleep. Fair enough. This would give him some time to get to know this place better, since he didn’t have to be near his room until evening.

“I’ll tell them to get you something to eat. See you later.”

With that Grimmjow got up and left. Ulquiorra stared at the door for a moment longer. Well, that was a strangely pleasant way to wake up.

He got out of bed and stretched for a moment. Then he went to the bathroom to fix himself up. While he was there he could hear the door open, someone walking around, then leave. When he was done in the bathroom and exited he saw that food had been placed on a table. He took a seat and started to eat while looking out into his private garden. Maybe he should find himself some more books and read while outside. It was warm and sunny after all, so it would be perfect for that.

He got up from his seat. Later. He needed to explore this place first. With that in mind he walked out of the room and decided to walk along the hallway, with no destination in mind. On the way he walked by a servant and let them know that he was done with his breakfast.

He checked out a few rooms, but there wasn’t much of interest. One thing he knew about places this big was that a lot of rooms were just there to take up space, they didn’t really serve a purpose. He came across some offices, some meeting rooms. All empty. The library was the only thing nearby that was of interest, so he went to another floor.

The servants lived here, so as he moved around he saw a lot more people. Some appeared to not be doing any work at the moment, but every person stopped and stared as he walked by. He peeked inside an open door. A bedroom. From what he could see from the second he looked inside it appeared to house four servants, and it looked like they lived relatively comfortably.

He continued on and soon he could smell food. There were apparently two kitchens here. One on either side of the castle, since it would take too long to walk with the food from one end to another. Both were huge and fully stocked. As he looked inside the kitchen he saw several people walk back and forth, working on something, but he couldn’t say exactly what they were cooking. What he did smell however was baked goods.

“Need anything?” A man asked.

“No. I’m simply familiarizing myself with the place,” Ulquiorra replied. He needed to watch what he ate, so even if some of the freshly baked goods looked very tempting, he needed to stay away from that. So to avoid more temptation he walked away.

As he got away from the servant area he found himself somewhere else. This place was oddly quiet, except for a guard that appeared at one point. Carefully he tried a door, it opened and as it did so he heard a gasp. He looked inside and could see two men looking at him, both appeared to be worried. Both had chokers around their necks. Slaves.

He looked around. This place was cold, and unpleasant, and the bed looked unpleasant too. What a strange place to house slaves.

“Is the punishment over?” one of them asked carefully. They might have noticed that Ulquiorra was a slave too.

“Punishment? What did you do?” Oh, so this living situation was temporary. He wondered where the rest were.

“You’re not here to take us back then?”

“No. What did you do?”

“I refused to do as the King said,” one replied.

Ulquiorra huffed. “You’re his toy. He bought you, and should be allowed to do whatever he wants with you. You refusing his wishes is laughable.” He deserved to be here.

“I’m not a toy! I used to be a free man!”

“You’re not anymore, accept that.”

The guy glared daggers at him, and had it not been for the other man in the room holding him back, then Ulquiorra was certain this angry slave would have tried to attack him.

“You were born a slave, right?” the calm man asked.

“Correct.”

“Of course, so then you can’t possibly understand what we’re going through!” the angry man growled.

“That might be correct, but wouldn’t it be in your own best interest to do as you’re told? Is being defiant truly worth this?” Ulquiorra gestured to the room they were in.

“If it means I won’t have to be fucked then yeah, it is!”

Ulquiorra hummed. “Enjoy your stay then.” With that he left the room and made sure the door was shut behind himself. Fools. He couldn’t understand their actions, or their perspective. It was bizarre and illogical to him, and he was not going to waste time trying to understand it either. As far as he knew, it would never make sense to him.

He continued on. Up some stairs, down some more. He really couldn’t say where in the castle he was anymore, but he knew his way back, or he was sure he knew. Now he found himself somewhere odd. There were a few guards here, and people who looked like doctors walking around… though they were not dressed in their usual black waxed leather coats, instead they appeared to be wearing white cotton coats. How odd. They were wearing masks too, not masks with beaks, but cotton masks that were just fabric over their nose and mouth. This was incredibly odd.

He continued on a bit more, more carefully now. There was a large open door to his right, and as he looked inside he saw what looked like a lab of some sort. Though it almost looked like something from another world.

“Well, look at you~”

Ulquiorra had been so distracted by his surroundings he hadn’t noticed the person in the room. Though now that he saw the man he was rather surprised he hadn’t noticed him immediately. Bright pink hair was hard to ignore after all. The man was also dressed in white, but he didn’t keep his mouth and nose covered like some of the others he had seen.

“I haven’t seen you before,” the man continued and walked towards him. Now Ulquiorra could see those golden eyes, and he knew immediately what this man was, and yet…

“You’re a Granz,” Ulquiorra commented.

“And you’re a Cifer,” the pink haired male replied.

“You don’t have a choker.”

The male shrugged. “I used to, but the King realized that there were other things I could be used for, so here I am, in my own lab.” The male stepped a bit closer. “What’s your name?”

“Ulquiorra.”

“Such a pleasure to meet you.” The Granz was pretty much purring right now. “I’m Szayel, and should you ever fall ill then I’ll make sure you’ll be back at full health within no time.”

“Thank you.” He took a step back. “I shall leave you to your work then.”

“Good, though don’t hesitate to visit. I certainly wouldn’t mind seeing such a pretty face again.”

Ulquiorra nodded and headed out of there, and walked back the way he came. On the way he picked up something to eat for lunch as he was growing a bit hungry.

Back on the floor where his own room was, and he decided to head in another direction. Now he found more guards, empty rooms, and truly nothing of interest. Until he found himself in the throne room. Now he took his time looking around, catching the details he had missed the first time he had been there. Then he walked up to the throne, but he didn’t touch it, he knew he was not allowed to do so.

“What do you think you are doing?” The sharp voice of the queen appeared from his left.

“Looking at the throne, My Queen.”

“Get away from it you filthy creature,” she hissed.

Ulquiorra stepped away. He made sure not to look in her direction as he turned and started to head in the direction he came from.

“What on earth is so desirable about something as disgusting as you?”

“I can’t answer that,” he said as he continued to walk.

The Queen said something else, but Ulquiorra had already left the throne room and made his way to another part of the castle.

Slowly he was getting more and more familiar with this place. Though as it looked to be almost dinner time he headed to the library and picked out a few books before going back to his room and made himself comfortable under a tree in his private garden. He sat there for a while, slowly turning page after page while birds chirped in the background.

The door to his room was opened and he looked up. Servants. Were they bringing him food? No, they weren’t carrying anything. So he got up to see why they were here.

“The King wishes to have dinner with you.”

“Of course,” Ulquiorra nodded.


	6. Observer

The servants nodded and led the way towards whatever room Grimmjow was planning to have dinner in. On the way there Ulquiorra made sure that the silks that were draped over his body looked okay.

They walked up to one floor above and then down the hall to the third door on the right. One of the servants opened the door for him and gestured for him to enter.

This room wasn’t as big as the room they had been in the day before, but it was still big. Before him was a large wooden table. He couldn’t say what sort of wood it was made out of, but it had a red tint to it. There were carvings around the edges, and he could see red gems being a part of the pattern that was made. The chairs matched the table; as they should. Ahead of him was a wall of windows framed by deep red curtains.

“Isn’t he pretty?”

Ulquiorra looked towards one end of the table, where the King was seated. There were other people here too, people he couldn’t say he knew. As he looked over them he was fairly certain that they were a part of the aristocracy. There was five of them, and then King, and now they were all looking at him as he made his way over to Grimmjow.

“I’ve always wanted one of those,” one of the men said. He looked to be in his early 60’s, though he could be younger. Bushy eyebrows, grey eyes, and white hair. He reminded Ulquiorra a bit of how ghosts were depicted with how pale he was too.

“They are incredibly expensive, aren’t they? I remember visiting last time they had one for sale at the slave market,” another said. This was a young male with blond hair. It reached past his shoulder blades and made his long face look even longer.

“Very expensive,” Grimmjow hummed, his attention was on Ulquiorra.

“You’re letting him stay covered? Why not show him off?” the old man asked just as Ulquiorra walked by and he made sure to reach out to lift some of the silks surrounding Ulquiorra’s body to see if he could get a better look at him.

Grimmjow’s eyes narrowed and Ulquiorra could see him clench his jaw. Of course he didn’t like it when someone else decided to try to touch what was his.

“Why should I? The rest of his body is only for me to see,” Grimmjow said. Now Ulquiorra was within his reach and Grimmjow was quick to pull him down onto his lap. “I don’t want anyone else to see all of him.”

“Of course,” a red haired noble quickly replied. His face framed by dark curls and his cheeks covered in freckles. “He is yours after all, it would serve no purpose for us to see the rest of him.” He appeared nervous.

Grimmjow grinned. “Glad to hear that we agree.”

Ulquiorra said nothing, instead he studied the men around the table as the conversation moved on to politics. His silence continued during the conversation, instead he observed how the men reacted to certain things, how they behaved, all of it. They didn’t appear to care much about him being there during this discussion.

Then food was served, and Grimmjow made the servants move one of the chairs so that Ulquiorra could sit right next to him… at the end of the table. The others there sent each other looks at this, and Ulquiorra too was surprised. 

“I want him close. I like to keep pretty things close,” Grimmjow shrugged.

So they ate, while talking. Ulquiorra continued to observe, mentally noting down everything of significance he saw. With how much talking was going on it took forever before dinner was done. Eventually servants took away the plates, and Grimmjow instructed Ulquiorra to get back on his lap.

So they continued to talk. This whole time Ulquiorra hadn’t said a single word, and he had kept the same expression.

“He is like a human doll,” the redhead suddenly said, completely interrupting what they had been discussing. “I mean… his expression hasn’t changed this whole time.”

“I could tell him to smile, but I prefer if he just keeps his natural expression,” Grimmjow said and looked up at Ulquiorra. “He can be very expressive if he wants to.”

“If he wants to? He’s your slave,” the old man huffed.

Grimmjow huffed and looked up at Ulquiorra. Their gaze met for a second before Grimmjow looked at the rest of the group. “I don’t like liars and pretenders. So I’ve told him to never act around me.”

Ulquiorra could feel a bit of tension in the room, and he knew why. He suppose that was why Grimmjow had wanted him here, to observe, and see if he could pick up on anything The King couldn’t. It was something he was trained to do, something all Cifers learned. After all, they had to be as useful as possible to their master.

The conversation continued on, going back to politics, and Ulquiorra continued to observe, until the meeting was over and everyone except Grimmjow and Ulquiorra left the room. Ulquiorra got up from Grimmjow’s lap as he felt the other move a bit, assuming Grimmjow wished to move.

“So, what did you see?” Grimmjow asked.

“The redhead appears to have an issue with whomever you are trying to marry him with.”

“That’s not unusual.”

“I believe he might like men.”

Grimmjow tilted his head a bit to the side. “How can you tell?”

“The way he was looking at me.”

“Everyone was looking at you,” Grimmjow laughed.

“They were looking at me as a toy to fuck, he was looking at me differently. This is something we learnt to pick up on.”

Grimmjow swallowed hard. “So you can tell if a man desires other men the same way he should desire a woman?”

“Yes.”

Grimmjow looked away for a moment, his eyes searching for something in the room. Then he looked back at Ulquiorra again. “Anything else.”

“The old man, I hope you don’t trust him.”

“I don’t.”

“Good. I believe he might be actually working with the enemy.”

“You’re saying he is a traitor?”

“I suspect so.”

“Hmm. You would really go that far.” Grimmjow studied him. “We’ll see. I just think he is a greedy old man who wants more power.”

“And where would he get that power from? Are you going to give it to him?”

“No, but he doesn’t know that.”

Ulquiorra tilted his head a bit to the side. “It’s quite the mind game you have going.”

“It’s called politics.”

Ulquiorra found himself smiling at that, even letting out a short chuckle. This was very amusing. Though what was even more amusing was Grimmjow’s reaction to Ulquiorra laughing. It looked as though he had completely caught the King off guard, and now he was just staring at his slave.

“The b.ond man,” Ulquiorra started, and Grimmjow quickly pulled himself together and acted like nothing. “I cannot figure him out.”

“Really?” Grimmjow smiled.

“He is difficult to read.”

“That’s why I usually send him as a representative whenever that’s needed.”

“Makes sense… if he is trustworthy.”

“Trustworthy enough. Everyone is working for me to gain something, few are simply loyal out of honor or devotion. I pity the naive fools who think that loyalty is free of charge.” Grimmjow reached out and placed a hand under Ulquiorra’s chin, tilting it up a bit. “Was there anything else you picked up on?”

“Nothing I can be confident in. I need to figure these men out first, so for now most I can give is speculation, and I don’t like to do too much speculation.”

“Makes sense,” Grimmjow hummed and pulled away and then gestured for Ulquiorra to follow along. “I have something for you.”

“Oh?”

“Go to your room. I will join you very soon,” Grimmjow said as they exited the meeting room.

Ulquiorra nodded and headed back towards his room. Once there he decided to sit down on his bed, and there he waited. He wasn’t sure how long it took, but Grimmjow eventually appeared, and he was holding a box in his hands. Ulquiorra had a suspicion what it might be. He got to his feet and walked over to Grimmjow who placed the box on a nearby table.

“I figured it was about time we got rid of this thing,” Grimmjow smiled as he reached out and removed the choker around Ulquiorra’s neck.

It was so strange to not wear it. He hadn’t felt this naked in years, and he couldn’t help but touch his neck where the choked had been just moments before. Part of him felt a bit distressed at it being removed, he wasn’t sure why, he just knew he didn’t like the feeling of nothing being there. Thankfully this didn’t last for long as Grimmjow opened the box and held up a new choker for Ulquiorra to wear. Blue this time, with gems to match, and even some pearls.

“Much better,” Grimmjow grinned when it was on Ulquiorra. “Now, I’ve got a few things to take care of, being a King is a lot of fucking work, but I’ll make sure to spend some time with you later.”

“Of course,” Ulquiorra nodded.

Then he was left to himself.


	7. Market

Ulquiorra’s eyes slowly opened as he felt additional weight on the bed. He had been here for almost a week now, and every single morning he woke up because Grimmjow either entered his bed, or touched him. A couple of times the King had wanted sex, but usually he didn’t really want anything.

“Hm?” Ulquiorra looked up at the other who was now leaning over him.

“We’re heading into the city, so get up and get ready.”

“Yes, my King.”

Grimmjow grinned at that response and got up from the bed. From there he watched Ulquiorra get out of bed. The slave headed into the bathroom and made himself ready, while he was there he heard Grimmjow leave. The King was however gone for only a short while as Ulquiorra heard the door open again. He assumed it was the King returning, but he couldn’t be completely sure.

Once he was done he walked out of the bathroom to get dressed, which pretty much just meant having expensive silks strategically draped across his body. However when he was within the King’s field of view, he found clothes being thrown at him, and it caught him by surprise to the degree he almost dropped what had been thrown at him.

“You’re wearing this,” Grimmjow instructed.

“Yes.”

It wouldn’t have been strange for him to wear what he usually would have been wearing, some slaves would even be paraded naked through the streets. In fact, a fully clothed slaves would be stranger than a naked one.

While Grimmjow watched, Ulquiorra got dressed, and the King looked very pleased with himself. Ulquiorra guessed that the other had come with some very strict instructions for this outfit.

“Think you’ll be able to wear that for a whole day, or is that too much clothes for you?” Grimmjow teased.

“It’s fine, I know how to not be naked too.”

Grimmjow chuckled and walked over to Ulquiorra and placed his hands on the slave’s cheeks, cupping his face.

“The outfit looks good on you.”

With that Grimmjow stepped back, and gestured for Ulquiorra to follow along. Just before walking Ulquiorra looked over at the large mirror that was in the room, giving himself a quick look. It was strange to see himself so covered up. White undershirt with large sleeves, the high collar also peaking up from under the sleeveless tunic that was on top. The tunic itself was dark green with yellow details along the edges. It looked like gold. Fitted black pants, and knee high boots. The choker around his neck was almost completely covered up.

He followed Grimmjow, down the hallway, to the throne room, and heading out. This would be the first time he left the castle since he came here, and it would be nice to go outside for a bit. He had not expected to ever really be allowed outside, so this was a very nice surprise.

“My King,” a guard spoke up as he walked towards them. “The Queen-”

“Whatever it is, tell her I’m busy, and not available. I’m not even in the castle,” Grimmjow replied with a dismissive hand gesture.

“This looks to be a daily occurrence for you,” Ulquiorra commented as they walked down the stairs.

“I guess. I’m so fucking used to it by now,” Grimmjow huffed.

Ulquiorra sent him a quick glance. Every single day there seemed to be something the queen wanted, and Grimmjow was equally annoyed each and every time. He found himself curious how they ended up getting married. Ulquiorra was pretty sure that woman had four sisters, so if the two nations wanted that alliance, then certainly one of the other sister would have been a bit more compatible with Grimmjow. Maybe one of these days he would find out the story behind this alliance, but he was not going to bring that up now.

They reached the carriage and got inside. Then it started to move, and they were on the way.

“I almost expect to hear that witch scream after me,” Grimmjow laughed.

“Wouldn't be the first time, I’m certain most of the castle can hear her when she screams.”

“Wait, you can hear her all the way over to your room when she’s throwing a tantrum?”

“Yes.”

Grimmjow laughed even harder. Ulquiorra looked at him with an eyebrow slightly raised. Moments like these were nice, he almost forgot that Grimmjow owned him. Their relationship certainly were a strange one. He felt more like a companion rather than a slave, especially since Grimmjow wanted to hear his opinion, wanted him to be honest. Of course, this was an order given to him, but it was easy to forget. In fact, most of his training was so easy to forget when everything was so casual.

It took them no time to get to town, and the carriage was stopped, and the two of them exited. They were in the middle of the main street. Carriages moving back and forth in four lanes, and on either side of the wide road were stores and more stores, and a few cafes and tea houses.

“Food first. I just remembered that I completely forgot to let you eat breakfast,” Grimmjow said.

“Is it truly safe to eat here?”

“Worried someone might try to poison us?”

“There’s always a possibility. You’re at war, your enemy might try to infiltrate the various establishments here.”

Grimmjow smiled and wrapped an arm around Ulquiorra and guided the other along down the street. “Shhh, that’s what I’m doing in their country, don’t give away my plans here.”

Ulquiorra huffed and shook his head. “So I assume you’ve done something to prevent this from happening here?”

“Of course. So no need to worry.”

“Can I ask what you’ve done to ensure your safety walking around here?”

“Had it not been for the fact that I know you better than that I would have thought you doubted me.” Grimmjow leaned a bit closer, now his face was right by Ulquiorra’s ear. “I turned my people on themselves.”

“What?” Ulquiorra’s eyes widened a bit.

“As I said before, loyalty isn’t free, it’s rewarded. My people knows we are at war, and they know that I can win this, but to make sure that we win, we need to keep the enemies out of our country. So my people are keeping an eye on each other. I have a whole agency that they can discuss with if they see anything suspicious. With this, whoever might be a spy can’t trust anyone. They don’t know who might run to my people to talk.”

Ulquiorra stared at him in stunned silence. That was a genius, but horrible tactic. Essentially the whole population was looking at each other suspiciously, spying on each other, looking for anything that might look like treason.

“What?” Grimmjow asked with a smile.

“You’re brutal,” Ulquiorra replied, and before Grimmjow could respond he added: “I like the way you think.”

Grimmjow beamed. “Of course you do, you’re not even half as soft as you look.”

“No Cifer is as soft as we look.”

“Like a venomous flower. Good thing they don’t hurt their owners.”

They entered an establishment, and immediately got a table. Shortly afterwards they were given tea too, without having to ask for it. As for food, Ulquiorra decided to ask for eggs benedict with a rich sauce and toast. Grimmjow went for something a bit lighter, he had clearly already had breakfast.

“So, are we here simply because you wanted to get out of the castle for a bit?” Ulquiorra asked.

“Don’t call me out like that,” Grimmjow laughed. “Well, yes, but also because I was in the mood to spoil you.”

“How sweet of you.”

“Figured I should make up for yesterday.”

Ulquiorra rose an eyebrow at him, silently questioning why. Yes, yesterday had been a bit rough, but nothing he couldn’t handle. The morning had started with rough sex, and clearly Grimmjow had been in a bit of a bad mood since it had been harsher than any of the other times they had done it. Even made Ulquiorra worry Grimmjow would make him bleed. Then only a few hours later and Ulquiorra had been pulled into a room, bent over a desk and fucked once more. Four more times after that had Grimmjow decided to have his way with him. In the evening he had found out that it was the Queen who was the source of Grimmjow’s frustration. Apparently she had decided that she was going to head to her home country for a while without asking him, and would be leaving in a few days.

“Don’t question it,” Grimmjow ordered it and took a sip from his tea. “I’m sure you can still feel it.”

“Of course I do, but-”

“You’re trained to deal with it, yes yes, doesn’t mean that I want to test what your fucking limit is.”

Ulquiorra simply shrugged. It was entirely up to Grimmjow what he wished to do with him. If Grimmjow wanted to test his limits, see how far he could push Ulquiorra, then he was at liberty to do so, if he wished to be gentle and care for him, then that was up to him. For now it looked like Grimmjow was somewhere in between. He had an appetite, and he was aggressive, and far from gentle, but he looked to genuinely care too, and would clearly give Ulquiorra breaks when he worried he had taken it too far.

The food arrived and they started to eat. The discussion was kept light, and oddly flirty. This shouldn’t be anything unusual, it was normal, especially for a slave to flirt with their master, they should act interested in them. But, this wasn’t acting. He was actually flirting with the King, which was a bit alarming, but he continued as he knew he would spoil the mood if he suddenly stopped.

“Where are we going next?” Ulquiorra asked, the food was finished and the teacups empty.

“There’s a store nearby that sells fabric, maybe we’ll find some nice fabric for you.”

“Fairly certain I would be able to look decent in whatever they have to offer.”

“You’re probably right.” Grimmjow got up from his seat, and Ulquiorra did the same. “Could put you in a burlap sack and you would still look gorgeous.”

“I would prefer not to wear that, I hear those things are rather itchy.”

Grimmjow laughed, and together they walked out of there and towards their next location. First now did Ulquiorra noticed that there were guards nearby, keeping an eye on them, but they were keeping their distance. Grimmjow didn’t like to be surrounded by guards, Ulquiorra had figured that much.

They entered a fabric store, and the first thing that hit Ulquiorra was the amount of color that was inside this store. It was insane, and he had to blink a couple of times to get properly used to it.

“My King, what can I do for you?” a young man said. He was dressed in white and light blue… and the clothes were oddly plain. The fabric was obviously expensive, but the lack of details was odd.

“Just looking around, seeing if there’s anything nice to put on him,” Grimmjow replied and nodded in Ulquiorra’s direction.

Immediately the young man turned towards Ulquiorra. He fixed his glasses and quickly moved over to him to look him up and down.

“Ishida, stop that, I don’t need or want your advice on what he should wear,” Grimmjow groaned.

“I’ll be right here if you need me,” the young man said and backed away.

Ulquiorra took a few steps forward, looking over the overwhelming amount of fabric that was present in this store. Usually there would be several stores selling specific fabrics. If you wanted silk, you had to go to the person selling silks, if you wanted satin you went to whoever was selling that. This placed looked to be selling everything, all of it in various colors, and next to some of them they even had examples of prints, meaning that they could decide on prints here too.

“Go on, see if you find anything you like,” Grimmjow said and gave Ulquiorra’s butt a playful pat.

Ulquiorra moved further into the store, as he did so he looked over the rows and rows of fabric. Now and then he would stop to touch some of it to see how it felt under his fingers. There was so much here to choose from, so much he would like to wear, but he wasn’t sure if there was a limit to Grimmjow’s generosity.

“Why are you hesitating?” Grimmjow asked.

“I’m wondering how much I’m allowed to pick.”

“As much as you like.” There was a pause. “But don’t make me regret saying that.”

Ulquiorra walked over to him and leaned close so that only Grimmjow could hear what he said next. “Don’t worry, I’m not your wife.”

As he pulled back he could see that Grimmjow was trying not to laugh. With that he returned to his task of picking whatever it was he liked. This was still harder than he had thought, not because there was so much choice, but because he had a choice. He could pick whatever it was he wanted, not following someone else’s wishes. Part of him didn’t like it, part of him wanted this choice to be made for him. Couldn’t Grimmjow just decide that some of these things would look good on him?

He reached out and touched a deep emerald fabric. It was hard to say exactly what sort of fabric it was as he was no expert at this, but it was soft and would be very comfortable to wear.

“This,” he said.

The young man that worked there suddenly appeared and took the fabric with him over to the work station. Then it was on to find something more he liked. After making that first choice it was a bit easier to pick out the next one. He went for a midnight blue satin that looked almost black. Then for something that was actually black. Some more green, then a bit of maroon, and sky blue.

“I think that’s all,” Ulquiorra said.

“Really?” Grimmjow replied. It looked like he had expected more. “Well, I have one pick I want to make for you.” With that he pointed at some pale purple silks.

“How much of each do you want?” Ishida asked, as he had gathered everything by his work table.

“Five yard,” Grimmjow shrugged.

“Of each?”

“Yes.”

That was a lot, and they didn’t even know what they were going to turn those fabrics into. Ulquiorra just knew this would mean a lot of outfits. All he could do now was stare at the mountain of fabric they were to take with them.

“Ulqui, go and call for a guard,” Grimmjow ordered.

Ulquiorra did as he was told, and the instead of one guard appearing, he was suddenly staring at five of them. They were so quick, and all clearly worried something had happened, which only caused Ulquiorra to give all of them a very unimpressed look.

“I need one of you.”

With that he returned to Grimmjow with one guard, and a moment later the guard suddenly had his arms full of fabric.

“Bring that back to the carriage, and don’t drop any of it.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

The guard quickly made his way out of there, and Grimmjow and Ulquiorra followed suit, just at a more leisurely pace. Once again the King wrapped an arm around Ulquiorra and guided him along down the street.

“Where to now?”

“Hmmm. Anything you would like?”

Ulquiorra shrugged slightly. “No. I have no need for anything.”

“Need and want are two different things.”

“I don’t want anything.”

Grimmjow leaned a bit closer to him, once more was his lips right by Ulquiorra’s ear. “I swear I’m going to retrain you to learn to want things.”

“Good luck.”

Grimmjow let out a low chuckle. “I like a challenge. So, we are going to look for some jewelry.”

Only a few moments later and Ulquiorra found himself in a jewelry store. This had to be the shiniest place he had ever seen. So many diamonds and precious stones. Golds and silvers everywhere, and there were a couple guards that were stationed around the store. Clearly, you did not want anyone trying to steal from here with how valuable everything in this building was.

“Look around, see if there is anything that draws your attention,” Grimmjow said and decided to lean against the counter that was there. The owner just looked at them, but didn’t say anything.

“I assume there is no limit this time either,” Ulquiorra sighed as he walked further into the store and started to look around.

“Correct. Pick anything and everything you like.”

Ulquiorra slowly walked around, looking at the various objects. There were a lot of beautiful things here, and yet nothing really caught his attention. For a moment he stopped and looked over at Grimmjow, who had just been watching him this whole time. The King made his way over to him and decided to stop right behind him, his hands placed on Ulquiorra’s hips as he leaned his face close. This was just going to be a thing he did while they were walking around today.

“Seeing anything you like?”

“No.”

“I suppose the only truly beautiful thing in here is you then.”

Ulquiorra let out a low huff. Such a flirt. It would have been so easy for Grimmjow to gain the attention and love of any young maiden of his choosing, and yet he paid no attention to any females. None of the noble females, not his wife, and he had no female slaves either. His attention and affection was only given to Ulquiorra. Though it wasn’t Ulquiorra’s business whom the King was giving his attention to, it was still very strange and uncomfortable that all of it was spent on him. He was a slave, a male slave. His job should be to provide pleasure and entertainment, not to serve as an actual companion.

“There is another store nearby, maybe they’ll have something you like better.”

Grimmjow wrapped an arm around Ulquiorra and together they walked out of there and this time they walked across the street. All traffic immediately stopped as the King was about to cross, and Ulquiorra could hear that somewhere to the left this was causing a bit of an issue for some of the carriages as there were sounds of angry horses. Not that Grimmjow cared as they crossed the street and continued on down along this side. They entered another store, this one was just as sparkly as the last.

Like before he started to move through the store, but suddenly came to a halt when he saw a very specific necklace. He leaned in a bit closer. Never in his life had he seen anything like the gemstone that was the centrepiece of the necklace. It was like looking into black water filled with green and blue fragments, and how bright the blue and green was shining within the stone depended on how the light hit it.

“What is that?” Ulquiorra asked.

“Lightening ridged Black opal,” the owner said.

“Oh.” He had heard of Black opals. They were rare and beyond expensive, and yet, here was one on display so casually.

“You like it?” Grimmjow purred in Ulquiorra’s ear.

“Yes.”

“Then it’s yours.”

Ulquiorra glanced over at the King. Was he serious? Gems like these should be on the King’s person, not on a slave.

“Don’t argue,” Grimmjow quickly added before Ulquiorra could say anything, then he gestured for the owner to give him the necklace.

The necklace the gem was on was made out of white gold, and rather simply so that the gem itself would be getting all the attention. Ulquiorra watched as the King held it up in the light, letting the color of the opal truly shine. Then he put the necklace on Ulquiorra.

“Now, what else should we get you?” Grimmjow asked with a smirk. He looked to be so proud of himself.

“Have you not given me enough?” Ulquiorra asked. What else could the King give him?

“No, I haven’t. I will give you whatever I damn please. It’s irrelevant if you think you deserve it or not, since I know you do.”

All Ulquiorra could do was stare at the other. He had no response to that, and when the King motioned for him to follow he did just that. They continued down along the street, walking by shops and tea houses. Ulquiorra had no idea where they would be going next, or what in the world the other might be giving him next. This was beyond the treatment he had expected to get. No one had prepared him for this. Most of the experience he had had after being bought had been things he had not been prepared for, and it made him wonder just how good his education was, or if this King was just that different.

“How do you feel about pets?” Grimmjow suddenly asked.

“I’d rather not manage that. I’m not educated in animal welfare. I do know how to ride and deal with a horse, but no other animal.”

“Hmm. I have to figure out which of the horses in the stable should be yours.”

Silence again, then Grimmjow took his hand and dragged him into another shop. This one was filled with glass items. He had never been in a store like this. Back in his home country you would have to go to the capital to find anyone who sold items like these made out of glass. Everything here was just for decorative purposes.

“I figured your room might need a personal touch. Find something you like. If there is nothing here you like, then there are other stores we can go to.”

Ulquiorra sighed. He wasn’t going to argue, but this was really getting ridiculous. Fine, if this was what the King wished to spend his money on, then so be it. So he moved carefully through the store, making sure he didn’t accidentally touch anything. There were a lot of beautiful objects here, from glass animals and plants, to cups and plates made out of colored glass. Abstract figures, and vases meant for flowers. Jewelry, hair ornaments. There was so much, as if the owner had decided that if something could be made out of glass then he was going to make it.

There was something that did really catch his attention however. A string of birds that was hanging from the ceiling. With the way the light hit them, they caused a rainbow to appear. He could picture these birds hanging by the windows, casting a rainbow across the floor.

Wait.

Why was he picturing himself owning this? Imagining where it would be in his room. He was completely taken aback by this. Never in his life had he done something like that, never had he looked at an item and thought ‘if I had that’. Never. Yet, here he was and-

“You want that?”

Ulquiorra almost jumped when the King spoke. He blinked for a moment, returning to the now. Looks like he must have been spacing out a bit.

“Yes,” Ulquiorra replied.

“It’s pretty.”

Once again Grimmjow gestured for the owner to get the item that Ulquiorra had picked out. The owner took the chain of birds and placed it in a wooden box filled with velvet to keep it safe. Like before a guard was contacted, and the box was sent to their carriage. Then it was on to the next store.

This one was filled with decorative items carved out of wood. It was all pretty, but what caught his attention this time was a section of music boxes. He wondered if any of the songs here would be songs he knew. Out of curiosity he tried one of them. No, he didn’t know this one, but the melody was pretty, and the forest spirit on top of the music box was beautifully carved.

“If you find one you recognize, why don’t you sing a bit?” Grimmjow said as he walked up next to Ulquiorra.

“I will have to learn some of the songs from your country.” If he was to entertain, then he needed to know what the people here would sing and play.

“That can be arranged.”

Ulquiorra tried another music box. Not a song he recognized, but it sounded sad… he kind of liked it. Then another one, and this one he actually knew.

“While you sleep, dream of me  
I'll be keeping our memories”

Ulquiorra sang quietly, and then looked over at Grimmjow who looked to be mesmerized. Pausing the singing for a moment he waited to maybe see if Grimmjow returned to this reality.

“Keep singing,” Grimmjow whispered.

“Carry me to my love  
Ov'r the sea to the clouds above”

As the song continued he decided to hum along instead as he studied the music box. The figure that was spinning on top of it was a maiden and a knight, the knight kneeling before her, taking her hand. The details were incredible.

“I’ve never heard that song before,” Grimmjow commented.

“It’s a lullaby. One of the caretakers used to sing it to us before we went to sleep.”

“We’re buying it.”

Ulquiorra closed the music box just as that was said, and watched a guard appear to take it away to join the rest of the things they had bought. However, even if an item had been bought, they weren’t completely done in here, as Ulquiorra continued to test the other music boxes, and Grimmjow in the background was encouraging him. Looks like the King just wanted to find an excuse to make Ulquiorra sing now.

He found another one.

“You can try to walk away  
And you can lie right to her face  
Hide the love that you still feel  
Act like we were never real”

He slowly picked up the music box as it played and turned towards the King, who once again looked to be mesmerized by the music.

“I know you are scared  
And I know all your fears  
But it can’t be repaired  
When your heart lies here”

Ulquiorra noticed out of the corner of his eye that he had attracted the attention of other people in the store, and he was sure he would draw a crowd if he kept going. Well, he wasn’t stopping until the King told him to.

“If you choose to stay with her  
Pretend that we never were  
And trap me in an endless hell  
How do you think this ends well?”

His gaze met the King’s. There was something there, in his eyes, but Ulquiorra couldn’t say what it was exactly. Was he sad perhaps?

“If all you crave is my embrace  
You know it’s me she can’t replace”

Ulquiorra had been about to get to the chorus again when Grimmjow closed the music box, ending the music and immediately Ulquiorra stopped singing.

“Let’s go,” Grimmjow said. There was a strange hollowness to his voice. Had he done something wrong? Ulquiorra didn’t ask, but he watched as this music box was bought too, and followed Grimmjow out of the store. “I think we’ve been walking around here for long enough, don’t you?”

“I suppose.”

“Let’s head back.”

Ulquiorra continued to follow along. Entering the carriage together with Grimmjow, and during the whole ride back there was this odd silence between the two of them. Ulquiorra was certain he had done something wrong now, and was internally calling himself every word he knew for idiot. Was he really going to be the first Cifer to bring shame upon the house? This was unbelievable.

They got back to the castle, and Grimmjow told Ulquiorra to relax for the rest of the day. Oh, this was bad, and relax was not something he could not do, not after this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The lyrics used are from:  
> Carry me by Eurielle  
> Your heart lies here by Eurielle


	8. Fight

Ulquiorra opened his eyes slightly. Fingers caressing his cheek had awoken him from his sleep, as usual, however this time he was almost a bit surprised as he wasn’t sure if he could expect Grimmjow to keep up this new habit of his.

“Morning,” the King said with a grin. He looked to be his usual self.

“Good morning,” Ulquiorra replied as he sat up. “My apologies for yesterday.” He was just going to throw that out there, even if Grimmjow looked to be fine.

“Uh?” Mild confusion crossed the King’s expression.

“Yesterday at the market, I believe I did something to upset you, and I-”

“Naaah,” Grimmjow waved the apology off with a hand. “You didn’t upset me, believe me, you would really know if you did… But, you did give me a few things to think about.”

Now it was Ulquiorra’s turn to be confused, but he decided not to push it. If the King wanted him to know what, then he assumed the other would tell him.

“Anyway, I’m gonna tell the servants to get you something to eat, and then we’re going to have some fun,” Grimmjow grinned.

“Very well,” Ulquiorra nodded. It was good to see how everything was back to normal.

Grimmjow ruffled Ulquiorra’s hair for a moment and then left the room. While waiting for the food Ulquiorra decided to get up and head to the bathroom to do his usual routine. When he was done the food had arrived, but Grimmjow was still not back. So Ulquiorra started eating, and once he was almost done the door opened and Grimmjow returned… carrying clothes.

“I thought you meant something else when you said ‘fun’,” Ulquiorra commented and got to his feet.

“I’ll fuck you later, don’t worry.”

Ulquiorra let out a low huff, as if he would worry that the King had lost interest in him. He walked over to the other and took the clothes handed to him. A white under shirt, leather tunic and dark pants. These were training clothes.

“Do you lack training partners?” Ulquiorra asked with amusement as he got dressed.

“Not really, I just want to see how good you are with a sword.”

Now fully dressed, he followed the King out of the room and along the hallway, heading towards the throne room. From there, they went to the left side of the castle, the part he hadn’t been in before since the Queen lived there. This part was overly decorated to the point of it being ridiculous. The walls covered in paintings or tapestries, the floor was painted with images of the forest, and the ceiling had the sky filled with birds and creatures Ulquiorra was certain didn’t exist. There were also several objects just standing around as decoration along the walls. Gilded vases with flowers, statues and suits of armor. Thankfully, the hallway was wide enough for a wagon pulled by at least four horses to pass safely through.

They did not see any sign of the Queen as they walked, and eventually went down some steps and then they through a door. This room was clearly an indoor practice area. Weapons and armor was on all the walls. Most of the objects Ulquiorra recognized, and some he knew how to use, but there were a few he had never seen before. He was tempted to walk over to study some of the weapons, trying to see if he could figure the strange objects out, but that’s not why he was there.

“Here,” Grimmjow said as he handed Ulquiorra a blunt practice sword made out of wood. This was however not some cheap wooden sword that many would use to practice, this was heavier and sturdier than most wooden swords Ulquiorra had practiced with. “Don’t want to accidentally hurt you while we play.”

“Do you think you’re able to hurt me?” Ulquiorra asked as he tested the sword. Surprisingly balanced, he could easily work with this.

“Is that a challenge?” Grimmjow grinned.

“I’m only saying that you should not take me lightly.”

With that Grimmjow launched forward to attack, and Ulquiorra dodged with ease. This quickly became a very elaborate dance between the two of them. Grimmjow aggressively attacking Ulquiorra, while Ulquiorra redirected his attacks and kept evading his attempts. The King was strong, far stronger than Ulquiorra, and he was much bigger than Ulquiorra too which he had a much longer reach. So Ulquiorra had decided that he was instead going to redirect his attack, causing the other to waste energy on attacking him, and at the same time Ulquiorra was going to use his superior speed to stay safe from the other’s attempts at taking him down. The best tactic would be to either wait for the right moment to strike, or exhaust the King. Sadly, the King’s guard was always up, and Ulquiorra could not find an opening. Each and every time he almost had a chance, the other smartly moved away, making sure that Ulquiorra could hit him.

The fight lasted for longer than most practice fights would, neither wanting to give in and give the other the win. Eventually, thanks to Grimmjow starting to get tired, Ulquiorra saw his chance and managed to knock the sword out of Grimmjow’s hand.

They stood there, looking at each other, both breathing hard after that fight. Blue locked with green, and the intensity of Grimmjow’s stare almost made Ulquiorra look away. It was like staring into the eyes of a predator ready to attack.

“I guess I underestimated you,” Grimmjow grinned and picked his sword up again.

As he moved something else caught Ulquiorra’s attention. The training tunics were short, so now Ulquiorra could very clearly see the bulge in Grimmjow’s pants. Looks like the fighting had turned him on. Not exactly a surprise considering the sort of person Grimmjow was.

“One more round, and this time I’ll get you!” Grimmjow said and barely gave Ulquiorra any time to prepare before he attacked. This forced Ulquiorra to block instead of dodge and the force of Grimmjow’s attack pushed him back several steps. “Oh come on, you can do better than that!”

Ulquiorra narrowed his eyes a bit, now fully focused on the other, and he really needed the focus. Grimmjow was attacking harder, faster, using a lot more force than before, and it looked like he had started to figure Ulquiorra out as it was a lot harder to get away now. Now and then he almost managed to grab hold of the slave. This time Ulquiorra had to use his all to be able to keep the upper hand.

This round did not last for half as long, but it was twice as intense as the last fight and ended when Ulquiorra thought he saw an opening, only to realize a moment too late that it was a trap and had to adapt as quickly as he could do the situation. Then they both stopped. Ulquiorra’s sword pressed against the side of Grimmjow’s throat, while Grimmjow had his own sword against Ulquiorra’s, and a hand grabbing hold of Ulquiorra’s hair. Their bodies were pressed together, and their faces were far too close, so incredibly close. The only sounds Ulquiorra could hear was the heavy panting coming from both of them, and his own beating heart.

“I… guess that’s… that’s a draw,” Grimmjow managed before swallowing hard.

“.... Yes,” Ulquiorra whispered in return.

They should not be this close. He could feel Grimmjow’s breath against his own parted lips, and there was something within him that was trying to urge him to close the gap between them. Instead he turned his face away, resisting that very inappropriate urge. He moved his sword away from Grimmjow’s neck, and the King did the same, but as Ulquiorra was about to try to create some distance between them he found himself pulled to the floor.

He knew what was going to happen now, so he quickly started to undo his pants, pushing the King’s fumbling hands away as the other was not far from trying to rip the clothes off of his body. So incredibly eager.

With his pants dealt with the King quickly moved between his spread legs, and Ulquiorra barely had any time to realize that the other had pulled down his own pants before he felt Grimmjow’s cock enter him. He gasped at the sharp pain as the whole length was pushed forcefully inside of him, and Grimmjow didn’t give him any time to adjust once he was fully inside, instead he started a frantic pace. All he could do was focus on his breathing through the pain. He could hear the King’s ragged breath against his ear, hear the low groans coming from him as he chased his release. Ulquiorra knew this was going to be a very short round, Grimmjow must have been ready to burst just before they started. He closed his eyes, his arms gripping the other’s shoulders as he tuned out the pain, keeping his focus elsewhere while still staying present.

The King stilled, then pretty much collapsed on top of Ulquiorra, now gasping for breath. Well, he had most certainly spent a lot of energy today, and it wasn’t even midday yet. Ulquiorra started to play with the other’s hair to help calm him down, the pain had turned into a weak throbbing, and he knew he was going to feel that for a while… like all the other times they did this. He was really getting used to the pain of this job.

“We’ve got to do this again another day,” Grimmjow whispered.

“As you wish.”

“Come on, admit it, it was fun.”

Ulquiorra hummed in response. “I suppose.” He wasn’t sure if he could call it fun, a bit amusing perhaps. Unexpected had it most certainly been. He hadn’t thought he would get the chance to fight against his master.

“I’m surprised you didn’t hold back while we were fighting,” Grimmjow continued as he sat up. “Most would never give me a fight like that.”

“Knowing you, you would have taken it as an insult if I held back or let you win.”

“You’re fucking right I would be.”

Grimmjow tucked himself back into his pants and got to his feet. There he waited for Ulquiorra to get dressed again before the two of them left the room. Still no sign of the Queen. Was she still in the castle?

“Has the Queen left?” Ulquiorra asked as they walked.

“She’s leaving this evening, apparently travelling as night is safer… according to her. I can’t be asked to fight her on that, she can do whatever the fuck she wants. She’s taking all her people with her too, so it’s like a fucking battalion leaving.”

“So she’s busy getting ready to leave right now then.” That explained everything.

“Yeah… I’ll have to have dinner with her before she leaves... “

Ulquiorra gave Grimmjow a pat on the arm. “For how long is she going to be gone?”

“A month or two.”

“Then focus on that.”

Grimmjow nodded.

They had to part ways as the Queen had requested for Grimmjow to see her, and he left with a promise to see Ulquiorra later. In the meantime Ulquiorra got some time to himself, which was first spent taking a long bath, then some reading.

At this point he had made himself a little nest in the library, and it was known to everyone that if he wasn’t in his room, then this was the next place to look. The nest consisted of several large pillows and blankets, and was surrounded by books he was planning to read. These piles were left untouched by anyone but Ulquiorra. Usually he was left alone here, but now and then someone would peaking inside to see if this was where he was at, and then leaving. Grimmjow would do this too, and sometimes he would decide to spend a bit of time with Ulquiorra in the library in silence.

This time he was left alone for pretty much the whole time he was in there, only once did someone appear to speak with him, and it was a servant asking if he wanted to have his dinner in the library or in his room. Ulquiorra never ate while in the library, so the answer was clear. With dinner heading towards his room he decided that that was enough reading for today.

After dinner he spent some time in his little garden as he watched the sun disappear, leaving him in darkness. He liked this time of the day, when day turned to night. The warm air cooling, and everything settling in for the end of the day… and the night creatures came out. He looked up into the sky. That was the one thing he missed now that he thought about it. This place didn’t have any bats, so seeing a dark sky with no shadow moving across it was strange. He would grow used to it, he knew that, and if he was dumb enough to mention it to Grimmjow then he was sure there would suddenly be bats everywhere here.

“The witch has left the castle!”

Ulquiorra hadn’t heard the door open when Grimmjow entered, so he almost jumped when the familiar voice emerged. He turned to see a very happy King walk over to him. So, celebration sex then? He couldn’t be sure since Grimmjow sometimes just wanted his company and not just sexual favors.

“Enjoy it while it lasts,” Ulquiorra replied.

“Oh I will,” Grimmjow grinned and took hold of Ulquiorra’s wrist the moment he was within reach. “And because of that, you are sleeping with me tonight.”

Ulquiorra’s eyes widened, but he didn’t protest as he was pulled along. “In… your bed?” Was he hearing this right?

“Yes.”

This was absurd! He, a slave, should not be sleeping in his master’s bed! Sex in it, fine, but not sleep. This was outside of what could be considered normal, far outside of the normal. It made him want to protest, remind the King of how inappropriate this was. Yet he didn’t. A part of him figured he might be misunderstanding the whole situation, and another part of him kind of wanted to spend the night with his master. He was curious what it would be like.

They made their way to the left side of the castle once more, and up a set of stairs, then another set of stairs, and down a hallway until they reached a set of doors. Two guards opened the doors and then shut it behind them.

So, this was the King’s bedroom.

It was large. Walls covered with paintings and weapons. Large widows covering one wall, though now they were partially hidden behind silk drapes. There was carpet covering the wooden floor. Chests were places against the wall, and there were several shelves and bookcases in the room too. The bed was to their right, and it was unnecessarily big, and looked incredibly comfortable. To his left there was a door leading to another room. He supposed that was the dressing room or bathroom, or both.

“Think you’ll be able to sleep in here?” Grimmjow asked.

“Yes. This… you are aware that what you are asking of me is a bit… strange?”

“Well, yeah, but I don’t give a fuck. I’m tired of sleeping alone.” He started to remove the tunic he was wearing. “Don’t you agree that that bed is a bit too big for just one person.”

“It’s too big for two people.”

“Exactly! So imagine how fucking lonely it is for one person,” Grimmjow continued with a grin. “Are you going to sleep with all your clothes on, or?”

“Oh.” Ulquiorra had been too focused on the whole idea of sleeping together with Grimmjow to start undressing. Now he did, slowly removing the silks that were on his person and placing them aside. He usually slept naked, but he wasn’t sure if he should be doing that now since Grimmjow was going to be with him.

“Here.”

Ulquiorra caught the white fabric Grimmjow threw at him. A night shirt. He put it on, and immediately Grimmjow started laughing. The shirt was a bit too big, in fact, Ulquiorra was sure it looked like he was about to drown in it.

“That’s fucking adorable,” Grimmjow said and caressed Ulquiorra’s cheek for a moment before taking his hand and guiding him towards the bed.

Grimmjow was wearing a nightshirt too, though his fit a lot better than the one Ulquiorra was wearing.

They got into bed, and Grimmjow pulled Ulquiorra close. So, this meant that it was only sleep, and no sex then? It just made it all even stranger. Grimmjow had decided that he just wanted a body next to him while he slept, and just a body, he wanted Ulquiorra specifically.

Ulquiorra moved a bit, trying to get comfortable without disturbing Grimmjow. It was difficult. He was now wide awake and too aware of the situation he was in.

“You okay there?” Grimmjow mumbled.

“My apologies…”

“That’s not an answer to the question I asked. Are you okay?”

“I simply need a moment to get used to this.”

Grimmjow lifted himself up on an elbow and looked down at the other. “Turn around.”

Ulquiorra blinked up at him, then did as he was told and turned so that his back was towards Grimmjow. He felt the other lay down again and move so that he was pressed up against Ulquiorra’s back, and an arm was draped over him. This was a lot more comfortable. He could work with this, and even then it took him a long time to fall asleep.


	9. Go for a ride

“Hm?” Ulquiorra hummed as he felt a hand run up and down his thigh, going under the nightshirt he was wearing. He could also feel Grimmjow’s slow breathing against the back of his neck, and his warm body against his back.

“Awake now?” Grimmjow whispered.

“Yes.”

“Good.”

The nightshirt was pulled up to his hips. Grimmjow moved, and now Ulquiorra could feel his erection brush against his backside.

“You know you don’t have to wait for me to wake up,” Ulquiorra said and looked back at the other.

“I prefer for you to be awake. No fun fucking someone who’s asleep… even if they won’t be asleep for long.”

Ulquiorra bit down on his lower lip when he felt Grimmjow slowly enter him. Fully inside he paused for a second, before slowly pulling out, then back in again. The pace that was set was a lot slower than Ulquiorra had expected, so there was no real pain, mostly just discomfort.

“Might just decide to keep you in my bed from now on,” Grimmjow groaned right next to Ulquiorra’s ear.

So, this is what he would have to get used to now? Falling asleep in his master’s arms and waking up to the other wanting morning sex? It would be very strange for a while, but he would probably get used to it… but he worried for Grimmjow’s reputation if this was to get out.

Grimmjow kept the slow pace, and it felt like he wasn’t planning to get much rougher than this. The discomfort of his large cock moving inside of him was now turning into a slight burning sensation. That was when he moved a bit faster, and Ulquiorra could tell he was doing so because he was getting close. Then he stopped, his full length buried deep inside of the smaller male.

“Good boy,” Grimmjow purred and pulled out, then proceeded to get out of bed. “Come.”

Ulquiorra followed him as he walked to the second door that was in the room. Past this door was a large bathroom, and another door that was open. The open door lead into a changing room.

This bathroom was much like his own, just a lot bigger. The bathtub was larger, the sink larger, everything was bigger, and made sure to make him feel a lot smaller. Marble and gold dominated this room, and like the rest of this area of the castle, there were paintings everywhere. The ceiling was blue with white clouds, and the white walls were covered in either paintings or mirrors. Thick white drapes covered the windows in the room, making sure that no one could peak inside, even if it would be impossible for anyone to see into this room from the ground level.

The sound of running water drew Ulquiorra’s attention, and he saw Grimmjow fill up the bathtub and then remove his nightshirt. This was the first time he had seen his master fully naked, and he had to admit that he was quite the sight. Muscles were on display, and so were several old scars, showing that he was no stranger to serious fights. He was tempted to reach out and touch the scar that ran across his chest, but he kept his hands to himself. It would be so incredibly inappropriate for him to touch his master without the other telling him to do so.

“Undress,” Grimmjow commanded.

Ulquiorra did as he was told.

“Good. You’re taking a bath with me, then we’ll eat, and then we are going to go for a ride. I’m in the mood for some hunting.”

“Sounds like a good plan for today.”

“The best plan. Maybe we’ll catch something big! Like a boar, or a deer. I could really go for one of those.”

“I will keep an eye out for either.”

Grimmjow grinned and turned off the water. He reached out for Ulquiorra who took his hand, and together they stepped into the water. It was warm, which reminded him of something he had been wondering about.

“How do you manage to get warm water, without someone having to heat it up? Also, I have noticed a lack of fireplaces, and yet the castle is warm.”

Grimmjow grinned. “You see, I have a few very clever people working for me,” he started, and Ulquiorra could tell that he was incredibly proud of himself. “Inside the walls are steam pipes, and that’s how we keep it warm, and how we heat up a water tank that is on the roof. It catches both rain and snow, but sometimes I have to send people up there to fill it up, especially during the summer.”

Ulquiorra looked at him with wide eyes. “That’s incredible.”

“Hell yes. Spent well over a year getting the system set up. Would have had it done sooner, but my dad didn’t fucking believe in it, calling it ‘witchcraft’, so I had to wait until he was gone first.”

They finished up in the bath, then got dressed. Or… Grimmjow got dressed, then called for some servants to get clothes for Ulquiorra. Once more he was fully dressed. Now, in a green tunic that reached his knees, a golden trim along the hem of the tunic. Underneath was a white shirt with embroideries of flowers. He was also wearing black pants, and knee high boots that were made for riding as the heel was a bit higher than what was normal.

“Look at you,” Grimmjow smiled as he looked at the other. “Starting to look like a noble now.”

“Really?”

“Pretty sure you would be able to fool just about anyone dressed like that, and especially with the way you walk and behave.”

“Is that what I’m doing today? Pretending to be a noble?”

“You don’t have to pretend, because you already are.”

Ulquiorra rose an eyebrow at the other, and followed along as they started to walk towards the dining hall.

“Is that a title you’re giving me then?”

“Maybe.”

“A noble slave. I’ve never heard of such a thing.”

“Then I’ll make it up! So now it exists.”

Ulquiorra chuckled. This was ridiculous, and he struggled to take this whole conversation seriously. There was no way Grimmjow was actually serious about what he was saying.

Just before they sat down to eat Grimmjow said something to a servant who then quickly hurried away. Ulquiorra didn’t ask what that was about, even if he was tempted to. Their relationship was so odd he sometimes forgot the boundaries he was supposed to follow. They had crossed so many of them, he almost felt like he was in the dark, unsure when he could overstep and when he had to stay in his place. The later was usually the safest option.

They ate together, Grimmjow chatting away about previous hunts he had been on and all the beasts of the forest he had managed to kill. Bears, moose, wolves. The only animals he had not shot down that he had come across were the pumas that were in the forest. Apparently he had been saved by one when he was a child, and after that he had decided to never kill one. At most he might harm one in self defense, if he absolutely had to. Though this had yet to happen. Usually they kept their distance whenever there was a hunting party out and about.

Breakfast was done, and Grimmjow immediately dragged Ulquiorra towards the stable. This was one of the few places left where he had not been. They went out the front doors, and to the right. Following along the castle, and then around the corner. That was where the stable was. It was huge. Apparently they kept well over 100 horses in there.

“Now, we need to see which of them can become yours. There’s a few that are off limit, but most of them are free for you to choose from,” Grimmjow said as they entered. Then he pointed towards a large stall where a silver stallion was standing, staring at them. “He’s mine. Prince.”

Ulquiorra nodded and then started to walk down along the rows and rows of horses. They were all sorts of breeds and colors. The choice was too much. So he just stopped. He couldn’t pick. He was still not meant to make his own choices. Someone had to do this for him.

He couldn’t do this.

Ulquiorra had been about to tell Grimmjow to pick one for him when one of the horses poked its head out and stared intently at him. For a moment they just looked at each other, then Ulquiorra walked over to the animal and carefully reached out for it. The horse stretched its neck out to get closer. For a moment it sniffed at his hand, then it pressed its muzzle against it.

“You didn’t as much choose him as he chose you,” Grimmjow chuckled in the background.

“Yeah.” He was thankful for that.

“So you want him?”

“What’s his name?”

“Wilhelm.”

Ulquiorra hummed, and then opened the stall and entered.

It was a gorgeous horse. Completely black, and its fur as smooth as silk, and just as shiny. Its mane long and kept on one side of its neck. It was light build, smaller than a working horse, and Ulquiorra could guess that he was very elegant when he moved. Nobles would use a horse like this to show off.

He ran a hand along the side of Wilhelm’s neck, and one of the horse’s ears pointed in his direction. The animal appears to be very relaxed, not bothered by his presence at all.

Both of them did however turn when Grimmjow yelled for one of the people working in the stable, ordering them to get the two horses ready, and to make sure that it was known that Wilhelm was owned by Ulquiorra from now on. No one was allowed to use the horse except Ulquiorra.

Ulquiorra got out of the stall just so that he wouldn’t be in the way and was handed a pair of gloves by Grimmjow. He put them on without question, and after that he was given a sword.

“Crossbow or bow and arrow?” Grimmjow asked.

“Bow and arrow.”

He was handed that too. Grimmjow had a crossbow instead.

“Ever been hunting before?” Grimmjow asked.

“No, but I am trained to be able to hunt or at least accompany my master when he is taking part in such activities.”

“This’ll be fun then.”

The horses were readied, and guided outside by the stable boys. Grimmjow and Ulquiorra followed along too. The horses were held as the two got up onto their backs.

“Ready?” Grimmjow asked.

“Yes.”

And with that they were on their way. Ulquiorra following Grimmjow’s lead since he didn’t where they were going. The movements of Wilhelm were smooth and easy to follow, though they were just walking for now.

“Where exactly are we going?” Ulquiorra asked.

“Though the village, the forest I want to hunt in is on the other side,” he said and pointed.

“I see.”

They continued on, Grimmjow continuing with more stories from the various hunts he had been on. He even included the times he had messed up or done mistakes, which surprised Ulquiorra. The King must really feel like he could trust Ulquiorra to let him know things like this. Then again, Ulquiorra was meant to be absolutely loyal to him, no matter what. He would die before he betrayed his master in any way.

They reached the end of the village, and that was when they were joined by a group. Some he could tell were servants. They were there with more ammunition, and would take care of the game they caught. Then there were four nobles there too.

“Took you long enough,” one of them commented.

“Yeah? Too fucking bad,” Grimmjow grinned, and the rest of the group chuckled.

“Who’s that?” another asked and nodded towards Ulquiorra.

“Ulquiorra.”

“A Cifer, right?”

“Yeah,” Grimmjow replied.

“You finally got yourself one.”

Grimmjow only grinned and then turned towards Ulquiorra. “And these four gentlemen right here are some of my friends.”

“Shawlong.” The man Grimmjow gestured towards was one who had guessed that Ulquiorra was a Cifer. He looked to be a very respectable man.

“Edrad.” This man was the one who had said that Grimmjow had finally managed to get himself a Cifer. He was a huge man, both muscles and fat. Ulquiorra could tell that he wasn’t from one of the richer nobles.

“DiRoy.” He had been the one to complain that Grimmjow had taken so long. He looked to be an energetic one, and the horse he was on could barely stay still, matching the energy Ulquiorra got from this man.

“Nakeem.” That was the man who had asked who Ulquiorra was. He was also a larger man, and Ulquiorra suspected he might be from the clergy.

“Ready to go then?” Grimmjow grinned.

“I’ve been ready since last week!” DiRoy said.

“Needed to wait for my wife to get out of here,” Grimmjow replied as they all started to head towards the forest.

“Have you tried to discuss with her about the issues you are having? I have seen her in the church several times a week, and she is very distressed about your situation,” Nakeem commented.

Clergy, okay. Ulquiorra knew to be careful with him then. The Clergy were the only ones who were not big fans of sex slaves, but there was little they could do about it.

“Yeah, because talking to that woman has worked in the past,” Grimmjow huffed.

“But have you-” Nakeem was cut off as Shawlong decided to speak up.

“She is exceptionally difficult to converse with, and I am still baffled by your reunion.”

“See, he gets it,” Grimmjow said.

“For how long will she be gone?” DiRoy asked.

“Months.”

“Soooo, we’ll get to hunt at last a few times then?” DiRoy asked with the biggest smile possible.

“You are so bloodthirsty,” Shawlong sighed. “Why not join the army as a general instead?”

“I will, if that’s needed.”

Grimmjow hummed. “It might be. I’ve got a meeting with my war council soon.”

“Can I join?” DiRoy and Edrad asked.

“No,” Grimmjow replied flatly.

“Aw, what a bummer,” DiRoy sighed.

“I’m fairly certain you would find it boring. It’s all about strategy, planning the next move, and predict what the enemy is doing,” Shawlong replied.

Ulquiorra decided to stay quite the whole time. This was not a conversation he was to take part in. So he continued to ride alongside Grimmjow. The reins he was holding was held loose, letting Wilhelm stretch his neck and look around as he pleased. He didn’t need to keep control of the horse while they were moving this slowly.

That was when Grimmjow decided to trot, and the rest had to follow. As Ulquiorra had predicted, Wilhelm was elegant and his movements were easy to follow. They spread out a bit now that the pace was a bit higher, and he noticed that Grimmjow was watching him.

“Show off!” DiRoy suddenly called out, and it took Ulquiorra a moment to realize that he was talking to him.

“Uh?” Now he noticed that Grimmjow wasn’t the only one looking at him. Was he doing something wrong? He was pretty sure he knew how to ride properly.

“You really picked the right horse, Ulqui,” Grimmjow said.

“Oh.”

They were moving together that well, was that why they were reacting?

As they entered the forest, and didn't slow down. Game was not to be found this close to the edge of the forest, so they had to get deeper. Deeper and deeper they went. Continuing at this comfortable pace until the King decided they had gone far enough.

“Here,” Grimmjow suddenly said and they all slowed down to a halt, and got off of their horses. “Ready?”

Everyone nodded, and drew their weapons, ether crossbows or bows.

“Now, don’t be scared pretty boy,” DiRoy said and winked at Ulquiorra.

“I wouldn’t fuck with him, if I were you,” Grimmjow commented.

“Whaat?” DiRoy replied.

“That guy can hold his own.”

DiRoy sent Ulquiorra a look, but made no comment. Now was not the time for a long conversation. They had to be careful so not to scare whatever animals were out there.

As they slowly moved deeper into the forest they also spread out. All Ulquiorra could here were their soft footsteps on the moss and grass, and now and then a twig breaking. Then there were the birds in the trees, leafs moving in the soft breeze that somehow managed to get this deep into the forest. He liked these sounds, they were peaceful, and yet he couldn't let himself relax as his eyes searched the forest ahead of him. For a while, there was nothing ahead of them, except for trees and bushes.

Suddenly Edrad moved, and fired off his crossbow. Since Ulquiorra was on the other side of the line they had made he had not seen the animal at first. But now he saw it, and he also saw that Edrad had managed to miss. Shawlong was the next to react, and he hit the deer and it fell over. So Shawlong jogged over to it while pulling out his sword to make sure it was dead.

“Good job,” Grimmjow said.

“That was mine,” Edrad huffed.

“You missed. Better luck next time,” Shawlong said as he watched one of his own servants pull the animal away.

The next animal they came across was shot down by a very happy DiRoy. It was another deer. Then DiRoy got a rabbit next, and then two foxes. He was pretty good at this, and Grimmjow told Ulquiorra very quietly that this was DiRoy’s favorite pastime, so he spent a lot of time in these forests.

Grimmjow got the next animal, which was a moose.

“There,” Ulquiorra nudged Grimmjow and pointed. It was a boar.

Grimmjow grinned and aimed. However DiRoy shot first, and missed. Now instead of running away the boar decided to charge towards them.

“For fuck sake, DiRoy!” Grimmjow called out and fired at the animal. The shot hit, but didn’t stop it as it was heading straight for Grimmjow.

Ulquiorra quickly pushed Grimmjow out of harms way, and less than a second later he had pulled his sword out and stabbed downwards as the boar was on its way past him since it missed its target.

“Holy…” Nakeem commented.

Ulquiorra let go of the sword and took a step back. The boar was dead before him, the sword had impaled its head. He looked over at Grimmjow who was sitting on the ground staring at him with wide eyes. There was something in those blue hues that… was not supposed to be there. It wasn't admiration, but something similar to it, something that almost made Ulquiorra blush. Instead Ulquiorra looked away.

“Yeah, Grimmjow, I get what you meant when you said that he could handle himself,” DiRoy said.

“And you clearly don’t need a bodyguard either,” Edrad added.

“Quite. You have found yourself a formidable companion, my King,” Shawlong said.

“Yeah…” Grimmjow said, though Ulquiorra wasn’t sure if he had actually heard what the other said as he was still so busy staring at Ulquiorra. He then cleared his throat and got to his feet before calling over his servants to get the boar. Ulquiorra got his sword loose first. “Ah… yeah… let’s continue,” Grimmjow said after clearing his throat again.

Ulquiorra sent him a short look, and their eyes met, causing him to look away again. His heart was beating so fast, why was it beating so fast? Why was he feeling this nervous, he shouldn’t be feeling that.

What was going on with him?


	10. The War meeting

Ulquiorra’s eyes fluttered open as he felt feather light touches move over his hips, pushing his nightshirt up. It was oddly pleasant… his half asleep mind didn’t want it to stop. However, at the sight of Grimmjow above him he was quickly pulled back to reality. He should not be taking pleasure in what his master was doing, so he quickly made sure to tune out the pleasant warm the other’s fingers were causing.

“I almost feel bad for waking you,” Grimmjow grinned as he slowly spread Ulquiorra’s legs open and settled between them.

Ulquiorra let out a low huff. Grimmjow really shouldn’t feel bad for something so trivial. It still amused Ulquiorra that the King insisted on waking him up before fucking him. He had also been treating him very gently the last few times he had fucked Ulquiorra. It was odd… like he cared, or didn’t want Ulquiorra to feel neither discomfort nor pain. However, that was close to impossible. Even if Ulquiorra was used to Grimmjow’s size by now, the friction was still too much, no matter how gentle Grimmjow was it would cause discomfort.

He watched as Grimmjow leaned over him, his elbows on either side of Ulquiorra’s head. This felt strangely intimate, and it only got worse when Grimmjow leaned closer. Too close. Ulquiorra turned his head to the side. Grimmjow let out a slightly annoyed hum, clearly not liking that Ulquiorra had turned away like that.

Ulquiorra felt Grimmjow move a bit, and then the tip of Grimmjow’s cock was prodding at his entrance before slowly entering. Once again he was being as gentle as he could while pushing inside, inch by inch. The slave warped his arms around the King’s shoulders, slender fingers moving along his skin, feeling the muscles underneath move and tense with each slow and deep thrust. He could hear Grimmjow moan right by his ear. Why was he so close? He could feel breath against his skin, the heat from his body. This was far more intimate than it should be, and it was making him feel strange.

A hand was running down his side until it reached his hip, and then gripped it tightly as Grimmjow picked up the pace slightly. It didn’t feel as uncomfortable as it usually would have. Now and then he felt something, something that drew a surprised gasp from his lips. What was going on with him?

Grimmjow stilled. Wait… what had happened? Ulquiorra blinked in confusion. Had he been lost in the act? Not in the sense that he had been dissociating, he had just... He didn't have words for what had happened there. Some part at the very back of his mind even felt a hint of disappointment that it was over.

This was bad. Really bad.

There was nothing wrong with a man fucking a male slave… as long as the slave was not gaining any pleasure at all from it. If both parts enjoyed the act, then it would be considered homosexual… which was not a word anyone would want to be associated with.

“Now I’m starting to get you to where I want you,” Grimmjow whispered against his ear.

Ulquiorra stared up at the other with wide eyes as Grimmjow pulled back. The other had been trying to get him to feel some sort of pleasure. His mind was racing to figure out why the other would do such a thing, why the King would want him to enjoy this at all.

Then something clicked.

A challenge. The King must have viewed him as a challenge, and he wanted to see if he could win, and now he had. Grimmjow sure liked to play with fire.

“You’re playing a dangerous game,” Ulquiorra said.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Grimmjow laughed, and Ulquiorra couldn’t tell if the other really didn’t get what he was saying, or if he was just pretending not to. “Anyway. I’ve got a meeting today, and I want you to be there too.”

“What sort of meeting?” Ulquiorra asked as he sat up, watching Grimmjow get out of bed.

“War council,” Grimmjow replied.

“I see,” Ulquiorra hummed as he got out of bed and followed Grimmjow to the bathroom.

They took a bath and got dressed. Once again Ulquiorra was fully dressed, not really showing any skin at all, and by now he was growing used to it.

As they walked down the hallway towards the dining hall to be served breakfast he found himself wondering how the rest of the castle reacted to his relationship with the King. He was now sleeping in the King’s room, and for most of the day he was fully dressed and could be mistaken for a noble. Ulquiorra was clearly not just there to look pretty and entertain the King… he had become a lot more than that. What he was exactly he wasn’t sure anymore. His own role in the King’s life was a mystery, and he continued to feel like he was walking in the dark, unsure of where he was heading or where he would end up or where he was.

“I figured I could throw a party at some point this week… I mean, my wife is gone, and we got some great game while we were hunting.”

“Sounds like a good plan,” Ulquiorra replied and continued to eat.

“I was also thinking of holding a ball at the end of the month… I need to get all my allies together for a bit to have a chat with them about our current situation… and maybe make some new allies too.”

“Hmmm, sounds like you have more than enough to do now then,” Ulquiorra said.

The breakfast was over, and Ulquiorra was pretty much dragged along to where the meeting was to be held. He looked down at Grimmjow’s hand that was holding his. It was wrapped around his wrist like it usually would have been, no, he was actually holding his hand. Skin to skin contact. Once again the strangeness of their relationship hit him, and he almost stopped to ask the King what was going on.

They entered the meeting room, and the rest were already there waiting for them around a large table. The table was painted as the continent, and several figures were on it. Blue representing their troops, and red the enemies troops. Villages and cities represented by houses. Allies represented in white pieces.

“And who might this be?” a brown haired man asked and pushed his glasses further up on his nose as he studied Ulquiorra. It felt like those golden eyes were looking straight into his soul.

“Ulquiorra. He’s a Cifer,” a silver haired male replied cheerfully. “He’s been spending quite a bit of time with the King recently, even saved him while they were hunting,” the man added with a smirk.

“Shut up, Gin,” Grimmjow growled and let go of Ulquiorra as they walked up to the table. “Let’s just get to it.”

“As impatient as ever,” the brown haired man smiled. “Very well. There has been some development since our last meeting, though nothing too significant.”

“I figured as much. If anything big had happened then I would have heard about it,” Grimmjow said and placed both his hands on the table as he leaned over it and studied the pieces.

The brown haired man pushed some of the pieces around, showing troop movements, while adding some minor details about it all. No fights had happened recently, but it was clear that the enemy was planning an attack as they were gathering in the south.

“Do they think they plan to move through that passage?” Grimmjow asked as he studied the gathering pieces.

“It would be their best shot at an attack. However, they would have to move through Murcielago to get to us,” the man replied.

“Would they let them through?” Another one of the advisors asked. A man with dark skin and long black hair.

“They are not going to let Murccielago know that they are there,” Ulquiorra suddenly said.

“How is that possible?” the man with glasses asked.

Ulquiorra pointed at a set of mountains at the very south of the country he had once called home. “They will use it as a cover. Get to the other side, and then head north to get to Panthera. There is no population there, and the King of Murcielago doesn’t care much for it. The only reason it’s still a part of the country is due to its bat population.”

“So, then we have to get to them before they get here,” Grimmjow said. “We can use the passage to use to our advantage. I’m sure they were trying to sneak through it, but we’ve got some pretty good spies.” Grimmjow looked over at Gin who looked very proud of himself. “So. How do we best approach this? I would rather not go for a head on attack in such a cramped area.”

“If we can get on the height, then we would be at a good spot to rain arrows down on them,” Gin said.

“How stable are the rocks on either side of that passage?” Ulquiorra asked.

He only knew a little bit about the area. It was a deep valley. On either side there were high cliffs. It wasn’t used much, since here were better paths to take between the countries.

“Stable enough… sometimes there might be a loose rock or two, why?” the dark skinned man asked.

“Ooooh, I know what you’re thinking,” Gin smirked.

“It’s best to save our arrows for an open field confrontation. I was thinking that explosives might work. If we get there before them, only sending in a few men to set up the explosives, and then wait for the right time to set it all off. The fewer men we send in the harder it will be for the enemy to detect us,” Ulquiorra continued.

He turned to look at Grimmjow and was almost startled by the hunger in his eyes. It wasn’t downright lust, there was also something else. Something like that strange admiration he had seen in his eyes the day he had saved him from the boar.

“I like that idea. How possible is it for us to go through with it, Aizen?” Grimmjow asked and looked towards the man with glasses.

“If we get this into action today, then I am positive that this has a high probability of succeeding,” Aizen replied with a smile. His eyes moved over to Ulquiorra, once again Ulquiorra felt like he was being analyzed by the man.

“Well then. So we have now figured out what to do about this little clutter then,” Gin pretty much chirped. “But what about these ones then? They could be a distraction, but we will still have to deal with them. They are heading straight for this village, and will probably take refuge there.”

“We should avoid conflict within civilian territory,” the dark skinned man said.

“But we can’t let them hunker down and wait there either,” Grimmjow said quietly.

“We could surround them, starve them, and let the population take their anger out on them,” Gin suggested.

“That will take too long, and it will not be worth it for such a small amount of enemies,” Aizen replied.

“Do we have spies there?” Ulquiorra suddenly asked.

“How else do you think I know that this is where the troops are heading?” Gin chuckled.

“How are we on civilian casualties?” Ulquiorra asked. “Are we avoiding it at all cost?”

Grimmjow sent him a short look. “Sometimes we have to make sacrifices to win.”

“Indeed,” Ulquiorra agreed.

“You two are a very unsettling duo,” the dark skinned man suddenly said.

“Just deal with it, Tousen,” Grimmjow smiled and flashed him a wide grin. “So, I think I know what you might be thinking, Ulqui.”

“Really?”

“Poison the town.”

Aizen rose an eyebrow, and Gin’s smile couldn’t have been any wider.

“That is a quick way to deal with the enemies, and we will not need to send troops to do that either. I’m sure Gin’s spies will take care of that,” Aizen said.

“I have a feeling even more of these cheap tactics will be implemented now that we have someone to enable the King… or two to enable him,” Tousen sighed.

“I finally got someone speaking my language here,” Gin smiled and moved over to give Ulquiorra a hug. The silver haired man was completely ignoring the death glare Grimmjow was giving him.

“Then what do we do about our troops?” Aizen asked.

“We should move Nnoitra and his men further north. Yammy can stay where he is, they will provide good defense in case any enemies get through. I want Harribel to move forward. With the enemies heading south, it will give her an opening to get through and attack. Starrk has to stay where he is,” Grimmjow growled the last part. “Had Luppi not fucked up like he did then I would have been able to move Starrk, but now I fucking can’t. It’s a damn standstill over there, like a fucking staring contest.”

“Or like two pawns stuck in front of each other in a game of chess,” Tousen commented.

“Right,” Grimmjow straightened up. “I think this looks fine for now… get to it.”

The advisors all nodded and left the room, leaving Ulquiorra and Grimmjow alone. Ulquiorra had barely had the time to turn towards Grimmjow before he was pinned to the nearest wall. Grimmjow was once again dangerously close. To make it worse it looked like he was leaning in closer too. No, he couldn’t allow this to happen… or could he? Grimmjow’s lips were almost on him, and that was when he turned his head away, just like he had done in the morning. He could feel Grimmjow’s warm breath on his cheek, then the King pulled away.

“I’ll have fun with you later,” he said and when Ulquiorra turned to look at him he was almost stunned by the look of hurt on Grimmjow’s face.

“Yes, of course,” Ulquiorra replied breathlessly. His throat felt oddly tight, making it difficult to talk, and his chest felt strange. Had he wanted the King to kiss him?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things are developing a lot sooner than expected. Oh well, that's what happens when you let the characters drive the story.


End file.
